Reganne Camp has been a consistent figure for the softball team from the pitcher’s mound. She pitched over 95 innings in each of her three full seasons as a Pirate and earned Second Team All-Big East honors at the end of her junior year. We caught up with a freshly graduated Camp – and her new puppy Arsey – to talk about her time in South Orange and how she’s acclimatizing to life in Florida with her new job.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
Justin Sousa, Sports Editor of The Setonian: In terms of your first impressions of Seton Hall, what’s the earliest memory you have whether it be a visit while you were still in high school or your first days as a student here?
Reganne Camp, former Seton Hall softball pitcher: The facilities were so nice when I first came here. The fact that we’re right next to New York City was really exciting too. I remember the cafeteria not being very good on my visits, which really isn’t the best thing to remember. I remember the drive [from Illinois] being super long, so I’m glad that I knew after [the visit] I wanted to go to Seton Hall.
JS: Do you have a favorite memory from throughout your softball career whether it be a game or something that happened while traveling?
RC: One of my favorite memories is when we went down to Florida, – this was right after my friend Olivia had died – and we were playing Lehigh. I remember giving up three runs at the start of the game and then telling everyone ‘that’s it, they’re not scoring again.’ We ended up winning in the ninth inning 4-3. I didn’t let up a single run after that.
JS: In terms of coping with an abrupt ending to the season and jumping into adulthood, how have things been for you since everyone was sent home during the COVID-19 pandemic?
RC: At first, I was really upset. But I knew I wanted to take my job, and I wanted to get my dog. I wanted to do some things other than softball, and I remember some of the other alumni told me that I was going to feel so relieved after I was done. I gave it a couple weeks to think over, and I did start to feel relieved.
As a student-athlete, you have a lot of pressure on you especially as a pitcher. I definitely miss the sport and miss being able to just pick up a ball and throw it, but I won’t miss everything else around it. I made such amazing friends too, so I’m definitely going to miss them.
JS: While you’ve been in quarantine, have you picked up any hobbies or time-killers to keep you busy?
RC: I literally got a dog. I got him two or three weeks after this whole quarantine started, so he takes up all of my time. He’s a Labrador retriever mixed with a German shepherd. My mom never wanted us to get a dog, so I said ‘I’m moving! I’m getting a dog!’”
JS: Now that you’ve officially graduated, do you have any plans in place for applying to jobs or starting a job?
RC: So I actually have a job. I got the offer before I graduated, and it was too good of an offer to turn down. I’m going to be an area manager [for Amazon]. I’ll be in charge of associates and people who do packaging and delivering.
JS: If you could give one piece of advice to the players that are returning to the team next year and the freshmen coming in, what would it be?
RC: Always work hard. Working hard is going to be the number one thing that gets you far. Whether you’re working a minimum 40-hour work week or 100 hours, I think working hard is going to outshine anything. Team chemistry is very important, and I think team chemistry will always beat a team with power or a bunch of skills any day. Working hard and team chemistry is what’s going to win you championships. When teams win, you hear them say ‘I love this team. I love this person.’ They don’t talk about their workout routines; they talk about each other.
Justin Sousa can be reached at justin.sousa@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @JustinSousa99.
