Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

What a difference a year makes. 

A year ago, when she first became of the Rutgers-Newark softball program, Emily Ibarra was a shy, quiet, timid little creature -- and emphasis on little, because she stands only 5-foot-1. 

“She was every bit a freshman,” R-N head coach Patty Clarke said. 

“Last year, I was content to be in the back and never spoke up,” Ibarra said. “I figured it wasn’t my place to say anything, especially since we had a team that had a lot of seniors. I think I was overshadowed by the upperclassmen. I never said anything.” 

But after a freshman year where the diminutive Ibarra rarely played and rarely said anything, there was a transformation before Ibarra’s sophomore year commenced. 

“It was like night and day,” Clarke said. “She was at the crossroads last year and didn’t see a lot of time. I knew it was going to be a tough year for her. But at the end of the year, she started to get into some games and gained some confidence. She understood what she needed to do and just totally bought into the program. It was great to see the change.” 

Ibarra looked at the new season as a fresh start and clean beginning. 

“It was a different year and I knew that I was going to step up and help lead the team,” Ibarra said. “I think it comes with both maturity and experience, maybe a little bit of both. With a new team, I felt like I had to step up and say something. I was going to step up and be different.” 

Ibarra knows that she’s not the real leader, because that’s tough to ask a sophomore to do. 

“It’s not like I’m the official leader or anything,” Ibarra said. “But if anything has to be relayed from Coach Clarke to the rest of the team, then I’m the one to do it. It’s not just me. But I just want the rest of the team to understand that we’re all in this together and I’m trying to be the one to bring everyone together.” 

Ibarra’s role on the team has also increased, going from little-used reserve to the Scarlet Raiders’ starting second baseman. 

“I think it’s probably her natural position,” Clarke said. “She’s still learning it, but she loves playing there and has done what she needed to do to play the position. She’s in better physical condition and she’s become a better fielder.” 

Clarke is content to stick Ibarra in either the No. 6 or No. 7 position in the lineup and let her hit, which she has done in the early stages of the season, batting .300 after four games. 

“That’s another 180-degree turn,” Clarke said. “She’s become a much better hitter. We can count on her in tough situations to deliver at the plate. She’s poised and patient at the plate and determined as a hitter. She really understood what she needed to do to become a better player and has gone out and did it. We’re putting her in a position where she can succeed and certainly can help us. 

Added Clarke, “I think last year, we never got a chance to see who Emily really was. We never got to see her personality-wise and never got a chance to see her blossom. But that’s the best part of this job, when you get to see someone just come out of nowhere and play with a lot of fire. The other best part is that she’s only a sophomore and we have her for two more years. We haven’t seen the best yet.”
Ibarra was a three-sport athlete at nearby Kearny High School, where she played soccer, basketball and softball. In softball, she was a teammate of current Scarlet Raider teammates Jessica Zelaya and Stacy Cappiello. 

“I call them my ‘Kearny Connection,’” Clarke said. 

It was always believed that Ibarra’s best sport was soccer, a sport that she participated in since she was a little girl. However, Ibarra grew to love softball more. 

“It just became different to me, soccer became different,” Ibarra said. “Soccer wasn’t there for me anymore. I wanted to try something new. Softball was great, so I stuck with it.” 

Growing up in Kearny and participating in three sports made Ibarra tougher and wiser. 

“Being so competitive in high school, I always wanted to win,” Ibarra said. “Kearny is so competitive in everything. I think that pushed me to be better in everything. I just wanted to keep playing all the time.” 

So when Ibarra first got accepted to Rutgers in New Brunswick, she reconsidered when she realized she could compete at Rutgers-Newark. 

“It was a great opportunity for me,” Ibarra said. “I really wanted to stay close to home. Not many girls get the chance to compete on the college level. My parents have always encouraged me to play sports. They want me to concentrate on my school work and softball and that’s it.” 

Ibarra is majoring in management information systems with the hope of entering the computer field after graduation. 

“I won’t say that I’m a computer geek,” Ibarra said. “But I like computers and I think I’m pretty good at it. I know how to get my way around computers. But I’m not so much a computer geek. I am good with numbers, good at math and good with computers. I’m putting all that together.” 

Much like she’s helped to bring the Rutgers-Newark softball team together as well. 

“I’m just doing what I do,” Emily Ibarra said. “It’s what I know best.”