The starting catcher and one of the most successful offensive players in Shippensburg University’s softball history is saying goodbye to Shippensburg — and softball — after this season.

Shippensburg University might not have been a match at first sight, as senior Morgan Lindsay already looked at Shippensburg during high school but chose Colgate University, yet it has been a match made at second sight.

The reasons for her transfer were that the Hereford native wanted to move closer to home and besides that, Colgate did not allow her the opportunity to start in games. Shippensburg’s coaching staff, however, was a big factor in her decision to pick SU.

In her sophomore year, Lindsay transferred from Colgate to Shippensburg before the spring semester in 2022 and immediately made an impact for the Raiders.

Lindsay came up as the regular catcher in her debut season as a Raider and started in all 52 games of the season, according to Shippensburg University’s sports information’s website. Ever since, Lindsay has caught every inning in all 54 games in 2023. In 2024, she caught every inning in every game, except for one game.

Building up the stamina needed for playing 50 games or more per season, Lindsay said she is used to the stamina and squatting. To her, it is “just routine” and a part of her life to be able to play so many games. 

Very important in her job as catcher, Lindsay says is her good relationships with her pitching staff and the trust between them.

“I feel like, they rely on me for a lot, which I totally take that responsibility for,” Lindsay said. “I just want the best for them, and I think they do rely on me to tell them straight and what is going on.”

Lindsay is not only Shippensburg’s starting catcher, but also a reliable player in the middle of the batting lineup, who cracked the Top 5 in Shippensburg’s school history in multiple categories.

After her last regular season game on Saturday, Lindsay is third all-time in home runs, and only five homers off of sneaking into second place. In career-walks and career-RBIs, she is ranked third with 73 and 143, respectively. If Lindsay scores eight more RBIs in the postseason, she will tie for third place in school history.

Lindsay rarely strikes out when she is at bat and often gets walked. Her secret to that is just looking for her pitch. Opponent teams know her as a power-hitter in the lineup and do not want to give her pitches that she wants to hit, according to Lindsay.

“Some of the teams knew I was one of the power hitters in the lineup, so I knew they were going to give me not a pitch that I wanted to hit, but I just had to wait for them to make a mistake and me to capitalize on it,” Lindsay said.

Softball has always been a family affair for Lindsay. She started playing softball at the age of 4 or 5, Lindsay said. Her older sister, an alumna and former softball player for York College, was the reason she started with softball, and her dad often worked with her extra so she could catch up to older girls who Lindsay was usually with on a team.

Her sister is also the reason behind Lindsay’s nickname Ducky, which her teammates at SU like to call her. 

When Lindsay transferred to Shippensburg, there were already two Morgans on the team (Morgan DeFeo and Morgan Brumbaugh), who were called Morgan and Mo, Lindsay’s usual nickname. The team asked for an alternative nickname, and she only had Ducky, which her sister had been calling her as the only person in reference to Ducky Momo. Against Lindsay´s hopes, the name Ducky stuck, and she embraced it.

Reflecting upon her time at Shippensburg, Lindsay’s favorite memory is winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship in the 2023 season. The excitement of winning and that they were undefeated in the PSAC tournament were “Just crazy,” Lindsay said.

Looking ahead, the criminal justice major said that she is going to go into juvenile probation for a career after graduation. It has always been her goal to work with juveniles, so the criminal justice major was a big part of her decision for Shippensburg, Lindsay said. 

Overall, Lindsay is very grateful for her time at Shippensburg University and for the team that embraced her when she arrived.

“I came in my sophomore year, halfway through,” Lindsay said. “So, I didn’t even come for the fall season, I only started in spring. So, I have only had 2 1/2 years here, really. I just want to thank them for embracing me coming in mid-season and working with me. I just feel grateful for that.”

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