This week’s Brandeis Judges of the Week
Haley Nash ’24 of the softball team and Jake Freed M’24 of the baseball team are this week’s Brandeis athletes of the week.
In a week packed with stellar performances, senior softball player Haley Nash ’24 from Delmar, New York and graduate student Jacob Freed M’24 from Vernon Hills, Illinois have been crowned Brandeis University’s athletes of the week.
Nash’s remarkable impact on the softball field this week began when she played an essential role in securing the win against the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Brandeis’ regular season opener on March 17. Throughout the doubleheader, Brandeis led 4-0 and 11-3. Nash’s bat held the lead steady, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs, two runs scored and an impressive duo of home runs. Her consistency at the plate saw her reaching base in five out of eight plate appearances, boasting a batting average of .545, an on-base percentage of .621 and a slugging percentage of 1.182 for the season. Nash’s two home runs last week gave her 23 for her career, tying her for fourth on the Judges’ all-time list.
Yet again Nash was imperative to the team’s 14-6 win on March 22 against the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the first game of a doubleheader, making one of two big hits during the inning and boosting Brandeis from a 3-2 lead to an 8-2 lead with a two-run single.
“In practice, we really focused on hitting and mental preparation at the plate, which I try to implement as much as possible in games to avoid fluctuations,” said Nash when reflecting on her performance this week.
In addition to preparation, passion is an essential ingredient to Nash’s consistency on the field.
“My drive and passion come from my team and teammates. I am so lucky to have an amazing group of women by my side, which makes playing and competing mean so much more,” she added.
Jacob Freed, graduate student
Freed’s fierce playing emerged this week in a series of five games, for which he was one of the Judges’ key offensive players. Freed amassed seven hits in 19 at-bats with five runs scored, four RBIs, three doubles and two home runs. Notably, Freed’s back-to-back home runs against Eastern Nazarene College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology showcased his ability to deliver under pressure.
In this series of games, Freed raised his batting average by nearly 50 points and now leads the squad in a slugging percentage of .524, nine runs scored. He also ranks second on the team with an on-base percentage of .383 and seven RBIs.
Like Nash, Freed emphasized that baseball “is mostly a mental game” and reflected “I didn’t have the best start to the season and was second-guessing myself.”
Despite this, Freed was able to amass a newfound confidence this week.
“I reminded myself that baseball is a game where you’re expected to fail the majority of the time, which helped me feel really confident at the plate regardless of the outcome and helped me stay focused,” said Freed.
His remarkable achievements this past week not only marked a personal milestone but also underscored his enthusiasm for the sport. “I tied my number of collegiate home runs in these first 10 games that I’ve had over the course of my two full seasons. But overall, I’m just really excited to be at Brandeis playing with a great group of guys,” Freed expressed.
Elaborating on the camaraderie and friendship of the baseball team, Freed emphasized that baseball is not just about individual success. “Baseball is very much a team sport. This makes it so baseball teams have to have lots of team chemistry to find success. It runs bigger than the game, as this has created some lifelong friends for me throughout the many teams I’ve been on in my life.”
Editor's Note: Sports editor Rani Balakrishna ’25 is a member of the Brandeis softball team and did not contribute to any part of this article.
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