SAU Weekly’s Lily Reid catches up with senior Shai Erdrich to discuss her history-making season of softball.

Davenport, IA – For senior softball player, Shai Erdrich, her career started back when she was a kid playing softball. But this monumental career wasn’t always on her mind.

Looking back at her time playing softball, she says, “The younger me is definitely very proud of myself and I look back at the younger me and I think of all of the things I have accomplished and I just know that she would be so proud of me. She definitely did not see me here today, but I am glad that I could show that to her.”

But for Erdrich, her impact was made here at St. Ambrose University in her senior season with the Bees.

She ended her regular-season career becoming the all-time leader in career stolen bases. A few weeks later, Erdrich also broke the single-season stolen base record, both of which happened in front of the home fans.

This might not have been possible without her head coach, John Kelly helping her set these goals for the season.

When talking with us, Kelly mentioned, “It’s great to see the goals that she had and we had together to reach that 50 stolen base mark this season. … It’s always inspiring to see someone like Shai out there doing what she does.”

But Coach Kelly isn’t the only one who helped Erdrich achieve this goal. Erdrich was supported by both her current teammates and a former teammate, Olivia McClintock who was the previous record holder.

After breaking McClintock’s records, Erdrich mentions that “… it does feel good, but at the same time I’ve also looked up to her my whole career in making that record, so it was kinda nice to run after someone I knew and to run after a goal that she already placed for me instead and she pushed me to be even better.”

Erdrich was also helping to inspire those around her, including fellow Senior, Mackenzie Stewie.

For Stewie, “…it was honestly awesome watching her work hard for something. …I think that she’s pushed me harder, I’m obviously not a faster girl, but watching her run on the bases is pretty inspiring.”

While this may be the end of her career as a Fighting Bee, Erdrich ended on a high note breaking two records that she’s been longing to break.