The relationship between a pitcher and a catcher is one that not many understand in the game of softball. Just as a quarterback meshes with his receivers and a point guard trusts his teammates, the connection from the circle to home plate is one that holds a crucial weight in a team’s success. Liberty juniors, pitcher Karlie Keeney and catcher Caroline Hudson, seem to have that connection down pat, both on and off the field.
Even before the two arrived on the campus of Liberty University, Keeney and Hudson had a connection like no other.
“We’ve also played together for a long time now,” Keeney said. “We played on the same travel team in 14U … It started with our freshman year. We literally were together every second of every day, besides classes.”
Hudson, who has nine home runs on the year for the Flames, feels that this longtime bond has paid great dividends for the pair’s success on the diamond.
“The reason that I feel like we work so well together is because we are best friends not just in softball but outside of softball. Since the day that we got to Liberty, we’ve been best friends. That definitely makes the rest of it easier,” Hudson said.
The two have traversed countless ups and downs with one another. If there was one instance that Keeney and Hudson thought was their biggest moment as a Flame, however, it would be the time they shined against Virginia Tech in 2021. Keeney remembers that moment vividly.
“The Virginia Tech (game) was a culmination of us both being able to establish ourselves against a top-25 team. I came in and pitched to them and gave up no runs, and (Hudson) had the big moments, hitting the two home runs … I was just really proud of both of us. I saw the extra work that (Hudson) put in and how it paid off for her.”
Both Keeney and Hudson, who came into the program at the same time, have had great success on the field. The relationship they have built over time, however, makes the dominance that much easier to attain.
“Every day, it was never like, ‘Hey, do you want to eat dinner?’ It was like, ‘What are we doing for dinner,’ or ‘What are we doing together?’ When you are that close to someone off the field, it makes it so much easier. It creates trust for me on the field,” Hudson said.
As accomplished as both of these two athletes are, they seem to think about the success of each other rather than their own.
“Seeing your best friend work that hard to see the reward, it’s rewarding that you get to be proud of someone else instead of just yourself,” Hudson said.
When comparing two great duos throughout sports history, you think of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, Serena and Venus Williams. While these duos have done great things, it’s Keeney and Hudson’s bond that is bound tighter than any of those previously mentioned.
Keeney and Hudson will hit the field together once more when the Liberty softball team plays on April 4 at Elon, while the team’s next home game will be a three-game home stand against Stetson starting on April 15.
Hughes is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on Twitter