HUDSON – Don’t measure Liv Connolly by her height; measure her by her heart.
A 4-foot-11-inch Hudson High School sophomore, Connolly is familiar with being the shortest person on the field – it’s something she laughs about with those who know her best. And while she’s “on the short side,” Connolly nonetheless manages to be someone teammates and coaches look up to.
“Honestly, I never see [height] as a weakness of hers because I think her heart truly takes over her actual size,” said Head Softball Coach Laura Bowen. “You see athletes that have the build and the size, but if they don’t have the heart and determination, they’re probably not going anywhere. She plays with that all-in mentality. She’s going to give you everything she has. Her size doesn’t affect her at all … She never uses it as an excuse.”
New kid on the block
Connolly began playing field hockey and softball at a young age. Connolly’s mother, a former field hockey player at Salve Regina University, wanted to get her daughter involved and brought her to clinics around the local area. That’s where Connolly found her love of the sport. At age 10, she was playing club field hockey. Two years later – as a seventh-grade student – she joined Hudson High School’s program, which received a waiver to allow her to play.
“In seventh grade, I was a little nervous. Once I got into it and was with my team, it was fun. The team has always been really fun. We’ve always had great energy. I like being with everybody,” said Connolly, who made the varsity team as an eighth-grader.
Connolly had an early start to her softball career as well, playing tee-ball with Hudson Youth Baseball and Softball (HYBS) as a child. She’s spent time with a handful of travel softball teams – including Hudson Demolition and Polar Crush Softball – and was the designated player for the Hawks as an eighth-grader. Connolly became the starting third-baseman the next year and was named a team captain for her sophomore season.
“Being able to fill [the captain] role is exciting – our captains last year were so great. I love all the girls so much, and just being able to lead the team with Taylor [Attaway] and Lauren [O’Malley] is going to be a lot of fun. We’ll pick people up and hopefully we’ll have another run,” said Connolly. “Softball is kind of big here … When I was younger I wanted to play on the varsity team. It was a dream of mine. I looked up to those girls. It’s fun to be able to play with them.”
Beyond the statistics
Though Connolly is statistically an excellent player in both sports – she was one of the top field hockey scorers in Mid-Wach-C, and she’s hitting .349 in softball – coaches unanimously agree that her perseverance and energy make her truly great. Whether it’s an end-of-practice drill or a match-defining scramble for the ball, Connolly can be trusted to give 100% effort. Always sprinting around during practice, Head Field Hockey Coach Jennifer Wallingford said she’s never had to tell Connolly to “pick up the pace.”
“She’s fearless in every setting. She’s never drained, she never has a battery that dies. She just keeps going until a whistle is blown. She digs it out and gets the job done. You can’t teach those things. You’re just that type of a player,” said Laurie Sachs, an assistant coach with the field hockey program. “She’s truly all-in, all the time.”
“I’ve been coaching Liv since she was eight years old, so obviously she’s super special to me. … It doesn’t matter if it’s a scrimmage, regular-season game, or state championship. She’s going to give you everything she has in every moment,” said Bowen.
And then there’s Connolly’s energy.
In the softball semifinal against Apponequet, Connolly’s enthusiasm and energy could be noticed by even the casual observer. As she pulled into second base, she looked toward the dugout and began jumping, screaming, shouting, pumping her fists – you name it – to get her teammates engaged in the game. An inning later she slid headlong into home plate, sending a plume of dust and chalk into the air, and immediately jumped up and high-fived and hugged her teammates.
“I like to cheer people on. My teammates react to me, and seeing how it can spread throughout the team is amazing. It spreads to everybody and makes me feel good,” Connolly said. “I’m just able to go in and try my best. Having my teammates with me – by my side, cheering me on – is always fun. Being able to reciprocate that and cheering them on, that’s really fun as well. It makes me excited. Having all that energy going with everyone, it makes it easy to go up and down the field.”
“At its most basic, sport is fun. Hard-work and winning, that’s all important, too, but we’re out here because we love the game. We love being active. When Liv embodies that, her enthusiasm is – it’s what I want my program to be. We’re out here because it’s fun to play field hockey,” Wallingford explained. “She’s the spark on the team.”
Sure, Connolly hasn’t quite hit the 5-foot mark, but her impact on Hudson athletics is anything but small. She’s focused on supporting her teammates, putting maximum effort into everything she does, and contributing whatever she can to Hudson’s field hockey, softball, and – as of this winter – basketball programs.
“She’s truly the heart of the team. I think people just feed off her energy,” said Bowen.
