Regarding baseball, and consequently softball, the mentality of the game is probably of the most important aspects as pitchers figure out the best pitching sequences while the batters are left guessing.

It’s as much of a science as is anything, and pitcher Caitlin McCann loves it.

“It takes a lot of focus to play softball, especially if you’re a pitcher,” said McCann, who has been playing softball from the age of six. “Over the years I’ve learned that you always need to keep calm and have a straight face. It doesn’t matter if you have given up twelve runs or zero; you always need to keep the same face out on the mound.”

The psychology major minoring in journalism shows favoritism to the mental part of the game.

“You need to be diligent,” McCann said. “It takes a lot because you’ll be focusing for ten seconds and then you kind of have a little break as you set up for the next pitch, and then you go at it again. So it’s important to just have that same mind-set throughout the game.”

The importance that she places on the psychological side of the game is something that she will take with her as time goes on. Currently in her third year at Pace, McCann hopes to stay in the New York area for a couple of years after graduation, before heading back home to California, where she hopes to open her own private practice.

“I am currently in the five year program here at Pace, so I still have a couple of years left,” said McCann, who is originally from San Mateo, California. “I’ve always loved that one-on-one interaction with people, and that’s something that I want to be able to do on daily basis but in a deeper sense. I guess that’s kind of the rough draft of my future.”

McCann’s family and experiences have both played a huge role in the shaping of her personality as well as her desire to help others.

Her parents, James and Jennifer McCann, both “brought something different to the table” according to McCann, with her mother teaching her how to interact with others, while her father made sure she stayed level-headed.

“My mom was all about being outgoing and talkative, you know, sort of just ways to form relationships with other people,” said McCann, who also has a younger brother, currently a senior in high school. “My dad on the other hand, he just made sure that I always thought before I reacted, that I stayed calm in all situations.”

As a student of the Notre Dame, all-girls, Catholic high school, McCann was able to take part in a student retreat her senior year, not knowing that her life would be forever changed.

Hearing speakers talk about how everyone always hid behind a certain mask, McCann found that she couldn’t quite agree.

“Of course, being the big talker that I am, I went up to one of the speakers after the seminar and I told them that I’ve never felt the need to be anyone but myself,” McCann said. “I’ve always felt like I’ve been at peace with who I am. Not that I am saying I am perfect, because, trust me, there are plenty of flaws, but I’ve just always felt good being the person that I am.”

One would think that the response from the speaker would be the life-changer, but in reality, it was one of the other students that really helped spark McCann’s love for psychology.

“One of the girls at the seminar came up to me and she said I had given her hope that she can feel that way someday as well,” McCann said. “That really hit me. I mean, here was this girl that I didn’t really know, but she was saying that I actually inspired her to be a better person. That’s something I will never forget.”

Describing herself as a “closeted nerd”, with some of McCann’s favorite movies being The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, movies and books have been a way for McCann to expand her knowledge, as she has found ways to relate with certain fictional characters.

One of those characters would be Scout, from her favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird.

“I always felt like I could relate to Scout in a certain way, especially during the trial scene,” McCann said. “I just felt like she was always kind of searching for something. And while I don’t necessarily think that I am searching for something in my life, I think that it is important to always have something that you can pursue.”

“My mom for instance, she’s thirty years older than me and one day she kind of just decided that she wanted to learn to surf, and I think that’s great,” McCann said. “It’s always good to have some sort of goal, it keeps you young, and it gives you something to look forward to.”

For now, McCann plans to lay it all on the field as she hopes to reach the postseason with her teammates. Looking ahead, she is excited to see where the mental game of psychology will take her.