Last season was a groundbreaking year for the Fordham softball team. After qualifying for their first ever NCAA tournament, the Rams hope to continue the success in the upcoming 2011 season.

This preseason, Fordham is ranked 18 in the nation and prospects are looking good for the Rams. Among those leading the team forward this season is senior Beckah Wiggins, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’11. As one of the top players last year, she is sure to play a key role this spring.

Last season Wiggins led the team with 60 RBIs, and she also had an impressive batting average of .328.

Wiggins started playing softball at a very young age, following in the footsteps of her older sister (former Fordham softball player), Rachel Wiggins, FCRH ’07.

Being around her sister and watching her practice sparked Wiggins’s own interest in softball, and so she began going to softball clinics and camps. Eventually she joined a travel team, and began playing competitively.

In high school at New York’s Susquehanna Valley High, Wiggins’s talent earned her the honor of being named New York Softball Player of the Year as a junior.

Pitching a no-hitter and two perfect games, she lead her high school to the 2006 New York state championship title.

At the same time, Wiggins’s older sister, Rachel, was pitching for the Rams, and from time to time, Beckah was able to visit the school and soon became familiar with it.

When it was time for her to go to college, she choose Fordham. Rachel stopped playing for the Rams after the 2007 season, but the next year, Beckah stepped in, pitching in an impressive 40 games.

Wiggins’s continued performance at Fordham has remained astounding, and as she has grown in her talent, the Fordham softball team has also reached new heights. Last season’s entry into the NCAA tournament was something never-before achieved by any member of the Fordham team. “We didn’t get very far [in the tournament], but it was just such an amazing achievement,” Wiggins said.

The secret to last year’s success was the chemistry between teammates. This year, the team is looking to improve on its previous success.

Wiggins believes that with hard work, the team’s chemistry will be just as strong as last season, and is optimistic coming into the new softball season. For Wiggins, the biggest challenge is “getting it all to work together,” but she is confident that the team will be able to succeed again this year.

The new season begins on Feb. 12 in Clermont, Fl. for the Dot Richardson College Classic. Until then, Wiggins and the rest of the team have one more week to gear up for another promising year.