Hokie ClubAside from determination and skill, behind every student athlete's accomplishment is a balance between sports, school and personal life, and Virginia Tech softball's Addy Greene has mastered the art of managing them all.
"I think that the balance I've found are the people involved with the whole process," Greene said about navigating college as a student-athlete. "I will say that I think I was meant to come to Virginia Tech to find my forever people and I think some of these teammates that I'm currently playing with are going to be in my life forever."
Interviewing Greene, even over a brief Zoom call, it's easy to tell why the school recruited her and why she's so easily made her forever friends.
Her love for the sport and the school is refreshing.
Greene fell in love with softball at a young age and eventually joined a travel team with Orion Hunter where she made lifelong connections and learned a lot about the sport.
After that life changing experience, Greene decided to solidify her commitment to the sport by signing to play college ball and knew how to recognize a good program when she saw it.
"I'd been on a couple college campuses with my parents, and this was the only one that I really felt like was a second home," Greene said. "And I know our slogan is 'This is home,' and it really did embody all of those feelings that I got 100%."
That was the confirmation she needed to commit to the university. As if that wasn't enough, Greene also speaks highly of the program, explaining its progress over the years.
A solid team culture has been the catalyst for consistent growth over the past few years and has helped the program flourish.
"I think that's how you see progress in a program – believing in that culture that's created from programs before you even get there, being able to handle obstacles thrown at you as a team and making sure that you answer as a team rather than yourself," Greene said. "That's a huge part of our program – making sure everything is circled around our team rather than making it an individual response."
So far this season the Hokies have secured four ACC series, including the series against Virginia to claim a point in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, earned ranked wins over then-No. 9 Texas and then-No. 13 Duke and climbed to as high as No. 8 in the NFCA Top 25 poll.
Last season, the team hosted the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals for the first time in program history, and now the Hokies aim to see it through to the very end of the postseason with the Women's College World Series and are taking it one day at a time.
"It's really good for us as a team to take it game by game instead of looking that far ahead or looking too much into the rankings," Greene said. "I think ultimately our goal is to make it to that June 9 mark, but taking it game by game is really good for us."
One person that has helped her be where her feet are is her mom, who is an inspiration to Greene.
"She always says the right things," Greene said. "She always encourages me to take that next step. It's never a silly dream. She always reminds me of that."
Whether it's giving Greene consistent advice or lightheartedly giving her a hard time about all the miles the family car has gained from traveling to her games, Greene's family continues to be her backbone.
Greene and the 21st-ranked Hokies will move forward and dream big as they conclude the regular season, with a home series against No. 6 Clemson this weekend and then an away game versus Liberty next week, before they set their eyes on the ACC Tournament on Notre Dame's campus May 10-13.
Writing HERstory Campaign
Coinciding with Women's History Month in March and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Virginia Tech Athletics launched a multi-platform brand campaign celebrating the incredible achievements of its female student-athletes, both past and present, while inspiring the next generation of women who aspire to achieve their dreams through athletics. In partnership with Truist, Tech will share stories of its past and current female student-athletes over the course of the calendar year. Ranging from podcast interviews to feature stories and more, the incredible moments and achievements by women over the years in Virginia Tech Athletics will be celebrated.
Pledge Per K
Support Addy Greene and the rest of her teammates by making a pledge per strikeout for Virginia Tech softball.