Leah (Peterson) Holmes, a 2005 Westfield State College graduate, was a stellar four-year pitcher and player for the softball program, three times earning Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference honors, and she capped her career by being named the 2005 MASCAC Softball Player of the Year.   Holmes helped lead the Owls to one MASCAC championship game and two conference runner-up finishes.

In 2005, Holmes led her team in batting average (.365), runs scored (20), and hits (38), but she did her best work in the circle where she recorded a 1.29 earned run average in 26 appearances, including 24 starts. She tossed 22 complete games and finished the year with four shutouts. Of the 65 runs allowed during her 157 innings of work only 29 were earned, and she struck out 113 batters that season.    She was named first team All-Conference as a pitcher, second team All-Conference as a hitter, and earned the league’s coveted Player of the Year award for her all-around performance.

As a junior, Holmes won eight games with a 2.30 era and struck out 72 batters in 82 innings, and batted .375 for the season to earn first team All-Conference honors. Holmes earned eight of the team’s nine wins that season.

As a sophomore, she posted a 9-4 record with a 2.01 ERA, allowed just 64 hits in 87 innings, and struck out a batter per inning to be named second-team All-MASCAC.

In her pitching career, Holmes pitched in 55 games, totaling 46 complete games, nine shutouts, and had a 1.73 ERA.

Holmes stamped her potential in her freshman year, when she nearly upset Bridgewater State College in the MASCAC tournament’s championship round in only her third collegiate start. 

As a hitter, in 114 career games played, Holmes totaled 317 at bats, 61 runs scored, 35 RBI, 101 hits, eight doubles, four triples, one homerun, 31 walks, 17 sacrifice hits, batted .319, and had a .370 on base percentage. 

Holmes ranks among the Owls’ all-time leaders in games played, pitching appearances, games started, complete games, and innings pitched. She graduated the school’s career leader in earned run average (1.73, which ranks third all-time at the time of her induction), and graduated fourth in career wins with 29 (which ranks sixth in school history as of her induction).

Holmes played softball, basketball and soccer at Appoquonet High School where she earned a variety of honors. She helped her softball team win the 1999 Massachusetts Division 2 State Championship, and was a two-time Brockton Enterprise All-Scholastic pick, a two-time Standard Times All Star, and a Taunton Gazette All-Star pick.

After graduating from Westfield State with a degree in Elementary Education, Homes gave pitching lessons for several years, and ran the 2011 Newport Marathon and has run in numerous 10k races and half marathons.

Residing in Lakeville, Massachusetts, with her husband Scott and daughters Emma (4 1/2) and Camryn (20 months) and son Tommy (3).  Holmes works as a third grade teacher in the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School.