Arruda wills her way onto Seton Hall team
Former Stonington standout earned spot on softball team
Among the things former Stonington High School center fielder Miranda Arruda has learned so far during her freshman year at Seton Hall University: that she's fast, that she's a Division I softball player and how to negotiate an airport security line.
"I emailed her," Arruda said of Seton Hall softball coach Paige Smith, correspondence which took place prior to Arruda's arrival at the South Orange, N.J., campus last fall. "I knew for a fact there was already 23 people on the roster. I said, 'I'm already going to your school. I'm already paying. I could be a really good asset pushing your players.' I was really aggressive. I don't know why she responded.
"When she finally responded, she said, 'OK, come to my office.' When I went, she said, 'Our roster's full. I can let you be a manager right now.'"
Maybe Smith really intended for Arruda to be a manager this season.
Maybe Smith's plan all along was to test Arruda's skills to see if she was talented enough.
Either way, Arruda, author of so many electrifying field hockey, basketball and softball moments in the annals of Stonington High School, started bringing her glove to practice at Seton Hall. When it was her turn to shag fly balls in the outfield, she dove for them, perhaps the only manager in the history of the place to get turf burn.
"Just precautionary. You never know," Arruda said of toting her glove around. "My full intention was to wind up on the team."
A few weeks later, Arruda was elevated to the practice team. She was issued practice pants, a few shirts and socks. Then one day, during an intrasquad scrimmage, Arruda was sent to the plate to hit when a member of the Seton Hall team came out with a homemade sign, saying, "Will you be my teammate?" "It was like a proposal," Arruda said. The affable Arruda said yes. She officially became No. 17 on the Seton Hall roster.
She pinch ran and scored a run in her first career game against Longwood University in the Elon (N.C.) Softball Classic. There were also trips to the Golden State Classic in Lake Elsinore, Calif., the Chan
“It’s a lot of work. But when you go through it and you get to travel and create a bunch of experiences, it’s worth it. I think we’re definitely on the uprising as a team. We have nine freshmen, that’s a really big number. They’re the hardest workers I ever met.” MIRANDA ARRUDA
ticleer Showdown in Conway, S.C., The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla., and the Clearwater (Fla.) Spring Break Invitational.
The Pirates final game of the season came on March 10 at Seton Hall, a 5-4 loss to Rutgers, before the season was canceled due to the spread of COVID-19.
Seton Hall was 10-14 at the time of the cancellation, getting ready to forge their way into Big East Conference play.
Arruda played in 18 of those games, mainly in a pinch running role, the most among the team's non-starters. She finished with five runs scored and was 1-for-3 in stolen base attempts. She didn't come to bat — "I'm not ready yet," she said — but she played in the field on occasion, finishing with a putout.
Did it all for the Bears
Arruda was a three-time All-ECC and All-Area selection at Stonington, eclipsing the 100-hit mark for her career on Senior Day. She had 19 career home runs and more than 125 runs scored.
She was a two-time first team all-state selection in field hockey and the two-time recipient of The Day's All-Area Field Hockey Player of the Year honor.
She thought she was going to play field hockey in college, but she wasn't recruited. Instead, she chose Seton Hall, which doesn't have a field hockey team, for its academic program and for its small campus, allowing her to get to class in five minutes or less.
She is currently majoring in biology with hopes of going to law school to become a medical malpractice attorney.
A lefty with a blistering time from home to first, Arruda, who is grateful to Smith for her inclusion on the team, is learning to slap hit.
Asked to pick a favorite memory from the shortened season, she credits her slugging teammates, who hit 18 home runs, nine for junior first baseman Baylee Allender, with providing the most excitement.
"Every game we pretty much had a home run," Arruda said. "We're a powerhouse for a home run. 'That's gone. See ya.' Run out to the plate to celebrate.
"It's a lot of work," Arruda said, adding to her description of the Division I softball experience. "But when you go through it and you get to travel and create a bunch of experiences, it's worth it. I think we're definitely on the uprising as a team. We have nine freshmen, that's a really big number. They're the hardest workers I ever met." v.fulkerson@theday.com