TOWSON, Md. - When Lake Forest Park, Washington native Emily Gould started looking at colleges four years ago, she knew she was looking at going a distance from home. Gould knew that very few schools on the West Coast offered softball at the Division I level and only one school was located in Washington.

Luckily for Gould and the Tiger softball program, the recruiting process provided the pair with a perfect fit.

“I knew when I started looking at schools that I was going to have to be making a plane ride wherever I ended up,” said Gould. “I just kind of knew when I visited Towson that this was the place.”

With her arrival on the Towson campus, Gould made an immediate jump into the Tigers' starting line-up. While her position on the field may have changed throughout her career, Gould's place in the Tigers' starting line-up has not.

She played in 61 games making 57 starts during her freshman season with the majority of those starts coming at first base. Gould hit .310 that season and earned second team All-CAA honors. Gould started all 53 games as a sophomore, seeing most of her time at third base that year while hitting .284.

As a junior, she made the move to leftfield and hit .265 while starting 61 games.

This year, Gould is one of three seniors on Coach Lisa Costello's roster. Of the three seniors, Gould has the most experience having played in 175 games entering this season.

“It's interesting and fun this year being a senior and being looked upon as a leader,” commented Gould.  “I haven't always been the most vocal person on this team, but with seven newcomers this year, it has forced me to speak up more and try to set the right example for the girls.”

Gould has certainly gotten her final season off to a good start as she is hitting a team-best .405 following Wednesday's doubleheader against Mt. St. Mary's.

Gould has heated up at the plate since the calendar moved to March. The senior is hitting .491 in 17 games this month with 14 runs scored, six doubles, two home run and eight RBIs.

“Emily has gotten hot lately and is really leading the way for us,” said Costello.  “We need her to be a leader for us and she's making smart decisions at the plate and that's helping.”

Gould is a speech pathology major and is planning on pursuing her masters' degree in the major next year at Towson after her playing career is finished.

-- TIGERS --