May Finds Unplanned Athletic Success at Keene State

Athletics were clearly something that came naturally for Deep River resident and Mercy High School graduate Julia May. A four-year varsity player on both the volleyball and softball teams, as well as a member of the indoor track team at Mercy, Julia headed to Keene State College with hopes of being a part of the volleyball team.

Not only did she not make the cut for the volleyball team at Keene, but fate seems to have played a part in this decision, as she went on to be a key player on the school's softball team.
   

A 2004 Mercy High School graduate, Julia was one of the first freshmen at Mercy to ever make the softball team. She was awarded the Mercy Female Athlete Award and was named All-Quinnipiac Conference player her senior year. Also a captain her senior year, Julia helped her team to the state quarterfinals that season.
   

To stay in shape for both softball and volleyball, Julia did indoor track during the winter months, participating in the 200 and 400. Julia never played volleyball until her freshman year at Mercy. She had played soccer for years but grew tired of it and decided to give team volleyball a try after dabbling in the sport during middle school.
   

 "I was really burnt out from soccer," says Julia. "I had tried volleyball a little bit in middle school-my hand-eye coordination came more natural for me so joining the volleyball team worked out well."
   

Julia made varsity her freshman year and was a tri-captain her senior year. She was recruited by Keene, but upon trying out for the Division III team, was cut and unsure what to do next with her sports career.
   

 "A lot of the girls trying out for volleyball were like six-foot-tall girls-it was like I was stepping into a wasp's nest of phenomenal girls, it just wasn't in the cards for me," says Julia. "My friends and family convinced me to try out for the Keene softball team. I wasn't even planning on trying out, but my dad called me up and thought I might have a better experience.
   

"I walked into the coach's office and despite trying out for the team the day before tryouts were ending, I made the team," she adds. "The coach seemed really upbeat about the program, really invested in his players, and had the third-most winning record in all of Division III softball."
   

Julia was primarily a utility player for the softball team, as well as a shortstop, and just finished her college career with some astounding numbers. She finished with a .310 batting average, a .522 slugging percentage, a .409 on-base percentage, and a .953 fielding percentage.
   

She was also the cause of some late-game heroics this past spring in her team's quest for the division championship. Julia hit the walk-off homerun in the division quarterfinals against rival Rhode Island, followed by the walk-off homerun against Eastern Connecticut State University in the semifinals. Despite the team's best efforts, Keene fell to Rhode Island in the finals of the double elimination tournament.
   

"Those two games I will remember for the rest of my life," says Julia. "To have been a part of all that was amazing."
   

Now that Julia has officially graduated from Keene, despite having one semester of classes to finish up for her studio art degree, she plans to start mapping out her future and possibly start thinking about a teaching career.

"It's funny how things work out," says Julia. "I hadn't planned for a second on playing softball for Keene, but sometimes it's the things you don't plan that have the best outcome."

Sidelines with Julia May

What is your most memorable sports moment?

On my birthday, I hit a homerun against RI in the division quarterfinals to win the game, followed by another walk-off homerun later in the tournament to win the semifinals against ECSU.

Who would you like to thank?

My parents-they have always pushed me, always been there to support me, and been to all my games regardless of where they were held. It's really nice having that kind of support system you can count on. Also, I want to thank my coaches and teammates, particularly Coach Charlie Beach. I never would have made it as far as I have without the help of the team and my coaches to teach and support me.

Story by By Holly D'Addio, Valley Courier Sports Writer