kristin cochran: big fish on campus

By Rich Myhre

Por Washington Huskies

02 de May de 2018

As a young University of Washington softball player, Kristin Cochran was given a new nickname - Fish.

Yes, there’s a story.

It goes like this. Cochran grew up in Newport, Ore., a scenic seaside community where a primary occupation is fishing. Her grandfather was a commercial fisherman and later her father, both along the Oregon coast and in Alaska. Cochran was still in elementary school when she began accompanying her family to Alaska for the summer fishing season.

Fast forward a few years and Cochran had developed into a top softball player. After graduating from high school in 2014, she enrolled at Washington and joined a UW team stacked with players whose first names began with K, or at least had the K sound. In addition to Cochran, there was Kelly Meggs, Kelly Burdick, Kelli Suguro, Kasey Stanchek, Casey Stangel, Courtney Gano, Kimberlee Souza, Kylee Lahners, Kirstyn Thomas and Krystal Aubert.

To avoid confusion, a few nicknames were needed. Since Cochran’s family had sent along some fish for the team to enjoy, a former assistant coach dubbed her the Girl with the Fish. Which eventually was shortened to Fish. Which eventually became a name used by teammates and coaches alike.

Indeed, saying Kristin might result in shrugs and blank stares. “Who’s that?” said UW coach Heather Tarr, feigning puzzlement. “You mean Fish?”

“It’s always been Fish,” agreed teammate Julia DePonte.

The name, Cochran concedes, is actually quite fitting.

“I come from a fishing community,” she said. “In Newport, commercial fishing is like our primary business. I grew up fishing, and I also had a lot of friends that went fishing with their dads. That was pretty common.”

These days, the Cochran family has three trawl vessels that are at sea for all but a few months a year. Older brother Keith has joined dad Kurt in the business, and there are still annual summertime trips to Alaska where they trawl primarily for rockfish, cod, pollock and sole. Or as Kristin Cochran explained, just about everything but halibut and salmon.

And if fishing is a big part of her past, it also looms large in her future. Though she initially planned on a pre-med major, she changed to the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences as a sophomore. Now a senior, she will graduate in June with an undergraduate degree that includes a minor in quantitative science, and will then begin a master’s program in the same school.

But in the meantime, Cochran is still part of an elite college softball program. The Huskies spent nine weeks atop the NCAA rankings before dropping series to UCLA and Oregon. Those setbacks dropped Washington to No. 5 in the national rankings, though the Huskies remain a top contender with the postseason just a few weeks away.

Being a UW softball player “has been a really cool experience over these four years,” said Cochran, a right-handed pitcher. “My freshman year we lost in Regionals. My sophomore year we went on to [the Super Regionals]. And then my junior year we reached the [Women’s College] World Series and finished third. It’s been really exciting to see the progression of the program.”

Excellence always comes at a cost, of course, and for Cochran and her teammates that price is paid each day in what is “definitely a big commitment” of both time and effort. “For me,” she went on, “I have a real difficult major that’s math- and science-based, and it’s hard when you have to miss lectures. But the [academic] program I’m in is really great at working with students. They’re very accommodating and the coaching staff is, too.

“It’s a sacrifice in some ways. You have only so much time in the day, and you have practice and school, and you have a social life and family, and somehow you have to balance all of it. But you sort of get into your routine, and it becomes what you do and who you are.”

Yet despite the demands, the overall experience “is definitely rewarding and so worth that commitment,” she said.

Cochran has played sparingly this season, largely because Washington’s pitching staff is led by the terrific 1-2 tandem of junior Taran Alvelo and freshman Gabbie Plain. Still, there have been highlights, including a March 14 game against Bryant when Cochran gave up just two hits and struck out seven in a 7-0 victory and three scoreless innings against #2 Oregon on Senior Day.

“It’s really important that you keep working on everything (at practice) to be ready for an opportunity,” says Cochran. “When the team needs you, you need to be ready for that. You can’t let yourself slip just because you’re not playing that day. You don’t know what can happen, so you need to stay ready.”

Cochran holds an appreciation and gratitude for the chance to be part of a successful, close-knit team. “It’s rare in life to find a group of people that are all working toward the same goal, and to the extent that a college athletics team does. This [team] is like your family and it’s special to be a part of it,” she said.

Added to the joy of camaraderie is the thrill of winning softball, which has happened often in Cochran’s four seasons. Heading into the final regular season series, Washington has a combined 172-54 record since 2015, her freshman year. The Huskies have also made three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament (a fourth seems certain this year), and reached the Women’s College World Series a year ago, finishing third.

“Last year, [the WCWS] was a place none of us had ever been before,” Cochran said. “It was a new experience for everyone on the team. It was surreal to be there, but it was also very, very exciting. Finishing short [of a championship] was upsetting, but it was also very motivating for everyone on the team.”

Cochran likes Washington’s chances for another strong postseason run in 2018 because, she said, “this is a really special team. Both with our softball talent, where there’s no question, and then from the team aspect. This team is very driven, but it also shares a special bond that’s unique. There’s something that connects this team on a deeper level than just softball.

“Getting the win on the board is what matters at the end of the day and that’s what’s special about this team. Everyone’s selfless, and we’re all working together for the common goal.”

Tarr maintains that Cochran has been “a huge contributor” to the program, both this season and in her three previous years.

“Not so much on the field and in statistics,” Tarr explained, “but as a contributor to our environment. She’s somebody that keeps improving and is competitive, and she still wants to get better and make other people better, too. She’s just a great steward of our program.”

The formula for championship teams begins, of course, with superior talent. But other attributes are also important, and one of the biggest is a collective unity and purpose.

“Your best players [in talent] have to be your best people [in character], no question,” Tarr said. “But the players that aren’t going to play the greatest roles have to be great people, too. Because you can get soured in that role. You can start questioning, ‘Why am I not playing?’ It’s so easy.

“But up and down our lineup, number one through 21, we like to say that we have great quality people. And Fish is one of them. She comes to work every single day, regardless of the opportunity or the perceived opportunity. She’s ready to go in (the game) when needed. She’s ready to throw to hitters (at practice) when needed.”

And on a team where academic successes are the norm, what Cochran has accomplished still stands out.

“I always appreciate people that can take a non-traditional academic path to being a student-athlete,” Tarr said. “It’s hard when you have to miss practice time because of [classwork]. As coaches, it’s hard to let your players miss practice. But you don’t want to ever stand in the way of somebody’s future career. And academically, Fish is such an inspiration with what she’s been able to do.”

In Cochran’s mind, the rewards from her UW experience go well beyond the many great moments on the softball field.

“Playing in college, you learn so many life skills,” she said. “I think softball really gives you the qualities that are attractive to future employers, but also for your life in general. It’s definitely taught me how to manage my time well … and also to see how you can work hard towards a goal and handle yourself in a professional manner.”

So how has she changed in her UW years?

“I think I’m still the same person I was when I came in [as a freshman],” she said. “My morals and my values as an individual are still the same. But I think my time here has given me a new understanding of what it means to be on a team, and how to be committed and passionate about something. Not every moment is amazing, so you learn how to be committed even when something is not the best feeling ever. It’s like when you lose, do you still love this game? Yes, you do.”

With both the season and her UW playing career winding down, Cochran is already planning for life after softball. She will remain in Seattle for the 2018-19 academic year, beginning a two-year master’s program as a research assistant with Dr. Ray Hilborn, a prominent faculty member in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. Her studies will focus on West Coast ground fish, but will also include a broader look at multi-species fisheries from around the world.

The goal for her academic work and the career she envisions will be about “maintaining a sustainable fishery” into the future, Cochran said.

Of course, her love of softball will never go away, even if she has no remaining college eligibility. Once the 2019 season begins, “I imagine you’ll catch me at some games,” she said with a laugh.