Most teams credit their success to talent or luck. For Shikara Lowe, the reason her team was so successful was due to trust.
“There was a ton of trust between all of us. We could call each other out when we weren’t doing our jobs, and I think that takes a lot of love and you have to really trust your teammates in order to be able to call them out that way,” she said.
It’s this belief that Shikara attributes to her 2006 Jesuit softball team’s recent induction into the 2025 Jesuit Athletics Hall of Fame.
She spends her day at a desk working for Nike but continues to contribute to the Jesuit softball team as an assistant coach. She can be found in the cages giving lessons almost every day and is present for every Jesuit softball practice.
In 2006, she contributed to this championship team as a freshman. This group came together as a team that loved the sport and played to win. They carried no fear and would do whatever it took to become that championship team.
The 2006 (and present) coach, Jim Speciale adds that he witnessed the same dynamic of them holding each other to a higher standard.
“They challenged each other. When they made mistakes, they pointed out the mistakes, but they were positive in that way.”
Their honesty strengthened the team and the bond they had with each other. Shikara believes that in order for the current Jesuit softball team to be more successful, they need to have that same honesty and respect towards each other.
“I think to continue to create a culture, there has to be a level of pushing each other that doesn’t read as mean or disrespectful. I think sometimes you have to know how your teammates are going to receive the information that you’re trying to give them, and you have to know how to deliver a message that maybe isn’t always going to be the nicest or the best one to receive.”
Speciale has the same belief, that in order for the current team to create a similar team dynamic they need to buy into what their coaches and teammates are saying.
“Believe in each other, don’t get down on each other, support each other, and give your all. If you give your all, and you don’t win, you got nothing to hang your head about. You’re gonna get beat, not too many teams have gone undefeated. Believe in what your coaches are saying, believe in what you are capable of doing, and just relax and go have fun.”
Shikara hopes the current Jesuit softball team can pull from her 2006 team by being able to give feedback and receive it well through a foundation of trust.
