Senior utility player Sam Mallinder is the type of teammate that pulls her team together through rough times. 

Mallinder’s teammate, junior catcher Ellis Erickson, spoke highly of her team leader.

“Sam is probably one of the most hard-working girls on our team,” Erickson said. “She always brings energy to every practice and she’s always motivating the people around her when times are rough.”

Mallinder grew up in Plainfield, Illinois, which is 45 minutes away from DeKalb. She started playing softball at 5 years old at a park district in Plainfield.

Back home, she lives with her mom Sarah, her dad Brian, her brother, and their pet Shih Tzu, Kenzie, who is 16 years old.

GETTING RECRUITED TO NIU

Mallinder was attracted to NIU because of the unity the Huskies had during her visit. 

“I saw the kind of atmosphere that the team had,” Mallinder said. “They all seemed to be having fun and cared a lot about each other when I came here. That family aspect was something I was looking for.”

NIU’s proximity to Plainfield was another reason why she chose to be a Huskie. 

“Family is huge to me and I love being around my family and having them here to support me while I play college ball and follow my dreams,” Mallinder said.

Mallinder visited other colleges before coming to NIU. She visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northern Kentucky University and a college in St. Louis.

Mallinder’s position on the field varies as she is a utility player. A utility player is someone who can play multiple defensive positions. She started off her journey at NIU as a pitcher. 

NIU softball head coach Christina Sutcliffe talked about how Mallinder being a utility player was a big reason she recruited her.

“The fact that she was a utility player is what first got our eye on her,” Sutcliffe said. “As we were watching her, she was consistent on both sides of the ball no matter what she did.”

In Mallinder’s freshman season, a few Huskie pitchers suffered injuries so she had to step up and fill in the position. She pitched when she was a kid, but slowly started playing other positions. Her first time being the starting pitcher at NIU was on Feb. 8, 2020 against the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers. 

“Coach called me up and told me we have a couple of girls hurt and we need someone to step up and pitch,” Mallinder said. “It was a super cool experience.”

Other positions she plays are shortstop and second base. Mallinder said second base is her favorite position to play. 

Prior to NIU, Mallinder played with other organizations such as the Plainfield Twisters, Dirt Devils and New Lenox Lightning. Her mom, Sarah, made her play all sports when she was young. Sarah was a basketball player and wanted Mallinder to play basketball as well, but she also wanted Mallinder to branch out and find a sport that she loves. 

“Soccer was too much running for me when I was a kid so I didn’t want that,” Mallinder said. “Once I played softball in the park district with my cousin, we both settled to play it.”

She played soccer, basketball, ran cross country and even danced, but they didn’t captivate her like softball did.

“Softball is a very gritty sport and I think you get a lot of respect for playing it,” Mallinder said.

Mallinder found a role model playing softball in her head coach for the Dirt Devils Marcy Kritikos. Kritikos played college softball and coached at Division III college softball at North Central College in Naperville.

“She was probably one of my biggest motivators and one of my biggest role models,”  Mallinder said. 

Kritikos was Mallinder’s pitching and hitting coach until she went to college. 

“She taught me everything I know, taught me to love the game, and taught me a lot about myself and how to be a strong female athlete,” Mallinder said.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE TEAM

Mallinder is trying to change the expectations for the team this year.

“Last year the team didn’t do as well as we were thinking,” Mallinder said. “We’re kind of brainstorming ideas on how to make this year an impactful one.”

Mallinder and her veteran teammates have talked about how they can make the freshmen feel welcomed and make their ideas heard. This year’s team consists of 11 freshmen. 

“Our leadership push with this team is to make the freshmen feel like they’re valued and make the team feel like it’s family,” Mallinder said.

Her expectations are to win everything. 

“My expectation for this year –which I think we can achieve – is being MAC tournament champions,” Mallinder said. “We have great energy, and I think this team is very versatile and we have a lot of potential.”

FRESHMAN YEAR CANCELED

In 2020, Mallinder appeared in 13 games for the Huskies. Her season was cut short due to COVID-19. 

“I remember when it happened we were on our Spring Break trip in Virginia and coach took us out for pizza, and there were murmurs that this season wouldn’t happen,” Mallinder said. “We heard the NBA had got canceled and we were like ‘oh my gosh, what does that mean for us?’”

She was shocked when everything was shut down because they only went on a two-week hiatus from softball. She didn’t think the shutdown would be permanent.

“It gave me a lot of time with my family, which I’m grateful for, but it is a shame that I didn’t get to finish out the year,” Mallinder said.

Mallinder was able to play again in 2021 and received an All-MAC selection. 

“I am so grateful for my experience playing last year and the year before,” Mallinder said. “I learned a lot about myself; kind of learn how to be mentally tough and face a lot of challenges.”

She was astounded about receiving an All-MAC selection. 

“When I heard that I was All-MAC selection I was honestly shocked, I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming because I did have a decent outing,” Mallinder said.

WORKING IN THE MEDICAL FIELD

Mallinder is a biological science major who plans to declare a chemistry minor.

“I chose to become a biological science major because I ultimately want to go into the physician assistant profession,” Mallinder said. “I’ve decided to go to physician assistant school and going to research because of my experience at the lab. I am an undergrad researcher in Dr. Pallavi Singh’s microbiology lab.”

She is currently researching salmonella and bison. 

“I know it sounds super nerdy right now but I enjoy it so much,” Mallinder said. “I found my love for science right here (NIU).”

She has experience in the medical field as she worked over Spring Break at Edward Hospital in downtown Naperville.

Mallinder has a decision to make as she is approaching graduation in May. She is currently deciding between going to physician assistant school or doing research in microbiology. She is also keeping in mind what grad school she wants to attend.