NDC third baseman Lexi Rehm, the senior from Wooster, OH has always taken great pride in her hitting. She finished the season batting .338 with 3 HR and 21 RBI playing in all 46 games. She also has a team leading 15 doubles and is a perfect nine for nine in stolen bases. "Hitting has always been my strong suit and my favorite part of softball. I'm always confident going up to bat. It's nice playing each team in the conference twice, second time around you kind of get a feel for what the pitchers will be throwing at you. There is always room for improvement in my defense (she has a .938 fielding percentage this season) but it has been going pretty well in the field this season. It's nice having Daniele Rivera next to me at SS, she always picks me up if I make a mistake. But overall our defense has been pretty solid, everyone has done a pretty good job, "Rehm said.
Rehm has been a member of the NDC softball program two years but she and her current teammate and former Brooklyn High School product SS Daniele Rivera have now been together for four years, since they stated together at Tri-C. " Alexi Maciejowski has also been a key cog for NDC and now patrols center field. She is from Macedonia, Ohio.
Rehm talked about how close this trio has become since getting to NDC:
"Softball at Notre Dame has definitely brought us close together, Lexi and Daniele are my people on the field and off," Rehm exclaimed. "They are who I spend my time with when we don't have softball and when we do. They will both be in my life for the rest of time, we have a lot of the same interests so it makes it easier to talk to both of them. They have both become my closest friends."
Maciejowski talked about her friendship with Rehm:
"I met Lexi the year I played infield and throughout the year we continued to get closer. I did not imagine at the time that we would get as close as we are, but I am sure glad we did. She has been a blessing in my life and I am so proud of the person that she has become."
Maciejowski told me that playing with Rehm the past few years has been so much fun. "She is someone that I trust and always has my back. She is an open book, being around her, she always makes you laugh and we just get each other. On the field she expects the most out of herself and shows the amount of love she has for the game. Batting in front of her in the lineup (typically Maciejowski fifth and Rehm sixth) I know that no matter what I do, she always picks me up! The bond and friendship that we build with each other eventually becomes just like family."
Rehm explained to me that she went to Cuyahoga Community College her first two years of college to play softball but also got her grades up so she could move on to the next level. She told me that her assistant coach at Tri-C went to NDC and also coached current NDC Head Coach Kelsey Stopp. Rehm explained that she thought it would be cool to come to NDC and stay close to home. Rehm has played softball her entire life. She played on a very good travel softball team and that is when she knew she wanted to play college softball. "It has been something I have always wanted to do and I never wanted it to end so of course I wanted to play in college, she stated.
Rehm has been a third baseman her whole softball career which is a tribute to how her instincts are on the field. It is nothing new for her as she explained:
"I have been playing softball since I was eight years old, my dad played in college and once I picked up a softball it was extremely natural and it become a big part of my life."
Rehm heaped praise on the coaching staff:
"Coach Stopp and Coach (Don) Coleman are the most dedicated people I have ever met. Both are caring, hard working, and have 100 percent dedication to every one of their players and Notre Dame College.
Maciejowski agreed:
"What makes them unique as coaches is that they make sure to take the time to get to know their players. On and off the field they build relationships with us that show that they care and just want to be the best version of themselves. I love having Coach Stopp as my coach, she is very easy going and easy to relate to. She is so energetic and loves to win just like all of us which makes it 10 times better. Her love for the game is unmatched so it's awesome having a coach as dedicated as her!"
The biggest difference between Tri-C and NDC Rehm explained to me is the competition. She explained it this way:
"The competition in our conference is much tougher at NDC than it was at Tri-C, we had a couple tough teams in our league at Tri-C but here at NDC all the games are up in the air."
Rehm told me that time management is the hardest part of being a college athlete here at NDC. She also told me that is the toughest thing because school, travel, and practice all get exhausting so you have to make sure you get your rest and set aside time to get all your work done.
She told me that she, Rivera, and Maciejowski have a bond that is undeniable.
"I went to Tri-C with Daniele and we have clicked ever since. We have been playing infield together for four years now! We came to Notre Dame together so it was nice having someone with me let alone my best friend! Alexi and I clicked the first time we met, she is very outgoing and goofy, very easy to talk to and get along with, Alexi and Daniele will both be my lifelong friends."
Rehm explained that she is 50 percent her mom and 50 percent her dad. "I get the outgoing goofy side from my mom and the focused hard working tough side from my dad. They both have a major part in who I am today as a person and a softball player. I couldn't ever thank them enough for all the time and effort they have put into helping me.
Rehm talked about hitting behind Maciejowski:
"I love hitting behind Alexi! She has had an awesome season (.338 with 11 HR and 47 RBI.) Whenever she is on base I feel extremely confident batting behind her because I know I have to move her or hit her in. It's also nice having someone ht in front of you who hits a double or a homer at any given time, it makes me motivated and ready to do my part.
The bond that this team has is undeniable. One of the best that we have ever had here at NDC. It is always fun and exciting. We have a great hitting team this year, it is extremely fun when we are clicking on all cylinders at the plate it makes the game 10 times more fun."
She continued:
"When this team is on the same page, hitters doing their job and pitchers doing their job we have unlimited potential. I am hoping everyone is on their A game when we get to the conference tournament. If we are all focused we will be a force to be reckoned with.
Rehm told me how her work ethic has improved by leaps and bounds since getting on campus. "I have always been a hard worker, but my work ethic at NDC has been a great improvement. Not only on the softball field but in the classroom as well. School has never been a strong suit for me but I have come a long way and I am extremely glad I chose to come to Notre Dame."
Maciejowski talked about Rehm off the field:
"Off the field Lexi is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She cares about the people in her life more than anything and would do anything for them. She is always a blast to be around and we have become so much closer the past three years. She is someone I can always go to and I don't see that changing anytime soon."
Maciejowksi will be returning for her COVID year next season but explained how strange it will be to not have Rehm around:
"It will definitely be weird not having Lexi's presence around the team, but I know she will be supporting us next year whenever she can!"
NDC softball (20-26, 13-17 MEC) will open play in the MEC Softball Tournament and will be the fourth seed in the North Division. They will take on the top seed in the South, the West Virginia Wesleyan College Bobcats (33-14-1, 23-7 MEC.) In a rare occurrence, the two teams did not meet in the regular season. The teams were supposed to play in South Euclid on April 2nd and 3rd but those games were snowed out and with no bearing on the standings late in the season were not made up. WVWC is fifth in the latest Region Softball Rankings.
Maciejowski said this about her team going into the tournament:
"The sky is the limit!!"
This team will go as far as the offense carries it. It got the trio of Maciejowski, Rivera, and Rehm All MEC Team honors. The quest (which is double elimination) begins on Friday at 9 AM from the James L.Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Va.
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