Comet Athlete Spotlight – India Caldwell

SAN MARCOS – Palomar College sophomore, India Caldwell, pitcher for the women’s softball team has a 6-0 record this season and recently had a no hitter against the Santiago Canyon Hawks.

Caldwell has grown up playing softball for the past 15 years. “When I was five years old, my parents were trying to figure out what sport to put me in, but softball, for whatever reason stuck out the most from other sports,” said Caldwell.

Caldwell mentioned that her biggest challenge was wanting to improve on the field and struggled with the transition from high school to college. She went on to explain, “Growing up realizing what I wanted to do has helped me improve because I could make my own choices rather than allowing others to make choices for me.”

While pitching this season, Caldwell’s teammates have helped her become successful on the mound. Caldwell expressed, “Overall we are a really good team, and being able to face our hitters has shown me what I need to do to improve.”

On the mound, she has made small improvements that have helped clean up her pitching accuracy.

As stated, Caldwell pitched a no-hitter against the Hawks. When asked about her no-hitter, Caldwell said, “I was really glad that it happened because it’s a huge accomplishment as a pitcher. It felt great to have the team behind me to be able to make those outs especially since the last one was a pretty big hit.”

For the remainder of the season, Caldwell said she is excited to, “get to know the girls more and see their achievements.”

Catcher Ellison Hazlet identified Caldwell as determined and trustworthy stating, “She wants to do the best every opportunity she gets, and I could trust her to throw me whatever she’s got.”

Former teammate Lindsey Allen, who played for the Comets last season said, “She makes her own goals and everyone on the team could clearly see how she is working towards her goals.” Allen also said, “Her motivation definitely rubs off to the other girls on the team getting everyone pumped up, and is a great teammate to have.”

Pitching coach Allie Hughen, defined Caldwell as competitive and driven. Hughen explained, “She takes failure really well, turning it into striving to do better.” Throughout the season, Hughen has motivated Caldwell by, “Allowing her to find drive in herself and reassuring her about the amount of talent she has that could be used while on the mound.”

After Caldwell’s no-hitter, Hugen’s reaction was, “I was honestly not surprised, especially with the amount of training she had over the fall and summer, and thought it was cool to see all her hard work pay off.”