Hard Work Pays Off for Furtado
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ranklin Pierce softball junior catcher Jessica Furtado moved into a class all by herself on April 6, 2012, when she deposited a fastball over the wall in left-center field in the first game of a doubleheader versus Assumption. With that solo home run, Furtado became the career leader for home runs in Ravens softball history. For the season, she smacked five homers and her eight career blasts are three more than the next name on that list. Furtado still has one more season left to put even more distance between herself and the nearest competitor. However, she does not choose to think about the home run total and her standing in program history. Furtado, instead, chooses to focus on the process and the next at-bat. It is what served her well this past season and what helped her to get through the struggles she experienced the season before, which sometimes shook her confidence to its core. “I wasn’t getting the results my sophomore year [2011] that I had experienced my freshman year [2010],” Furtado said. “I started to wonder if I hadn’t worked hard enough, or maybe I focused too much in one area and not another. It carried over into all facets of my game. You can be your own worst enemy at times, and after that second season, I just tried to simplify the game and make sure that I continued to have fun. Sometimes you just need to step back, and take a deep breath and refocus.”
A Stellar Debut Furtado thought it was going to be easy after her rookie season in 2010. She had a stellar debut in Rindge as she batted .321, belted three homers, posted a .491 slugging percentage and a .438 onbase percentage – all of which were team highs. She also collected 20 RBI, which was the second highest total on the team. Furtado wasn’t just a success at the dish, but also behind it as she tied for second in the Northeast-10 Conference with 13 runners caught stealing. Furtado knew she would have to continue to work hard, but she figured if she put in the time, the results would come as a sophomore just as they did as a rookie. “I had a lot of confidence after my rookie year,” she said. “I knew I could play at this level and I was looking forward to my sophomore season because I felt I would build upon the things I accomplished
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Franklin Pierce University fall 2012
as a rookie. I wouldn’t say I felt entitled, but I didn’t think my production would slip like it did.”
A Challenge Awaits Furtado put in the hard work between her freshman and sophomore seasons. The spring of 2011 rolled around and she was ready to get after it. However, the results weren’t coming for Furtado. Her batting average and RBI total dipped to .170 and nine, respectively. Her power wasn’t there, as she failed to hit a home run. She quickly began to question herself. “My sophomore year was very Photo by Dan Forget frustrating,” Furtado said. “I knew I put in the hard work during the offseason, and that’s what made it more frustrating. Then, I started to wonder if I had worked hard enough or in the right areas. I began to press. I would spend extra time in the batting cage before and after games. I always kept replaying game situations and at-bats in my mind. It started to wear on me and I’m sure it showed out on the field both offensively and defensively. I lost some confidence.”
“Coach Grenache kept telling me the first thing to do is remember that it’s a game and to have fun,” Furtado said.
Christine Grenache, who at the time was an assistant coach, worked with Furtado nonstop before and after practices. Grenache didn’t question Furtado’s work ethic, but wanted the hitter to focus on the basics. “Coach Grenache kept telling me the first thing to do is remember that it’s a game and to have fun,” Furtado said. “I basically needed to get out of my own way and stop pressing. It wasn’t doing the team or myself any good. The second thing we worked on was getting back to the basics in terms of preparation for an at-bat, and then when I’m at the plate.” Furtado took the lessons to heart, and as her sophomore season wound down, she