If you’ve not been following Saluki softball for the last two years, it’d be natural to think, “Hey, this Anna Carder is really good,” assuming she’s been a dominant force on the team and one of the best catchers in the Missouri Valley Conference for years.

While she has been one of the best catchers in the MVC the past few years, especially in the 2025 campaign, her down season in 2024 while not catching very often may have led some to forget what the junior slugger is capable of.

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One person who never forgot about her talent or about what she did for the team in 2024? Head coach Jen Sewell.

“I don’t think many understand what a sacrifice that was for her team. Anna never took a step back in her skill set and abilities. She has an elite arm and an elite left-handed power bat. Period. But she sacrificed for the team,” Sewell said. 

Carder started her career at SIU in spectacular fashion, batting .280 and starting 56 games, most as a catcher, as a freshman en route to being named to the All-MVC Second Team. 

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Her sophomore season featured a drop in both numbers and appearances behind the plate due to the presence of Rylinn Groff, who was the catcher in all of her twin sister Maddia’s games. While Carder was still playing in a designated hitter role, it was at times difficult for her to make the adjustment to only batting.

“I think it was because I got in my head a little bit and I did put so much pressure on, you know, the classic sophomore slump, where I just thought, ‘Oh, I need to one-up last year, yada yada yada,’” Carder said. “I was putting pressure on myself and that’s not how I play.”

To her credit, Carder has moved past last season after taking it as a learning experience.

“I learned a ton from last year. It was hard for me, but I think it made me even better, just maturity wise. Mentally, I became tougher, so now I am really trying to use what I learned from last year and just take it into this year,” Carder said. 

Shortstop, roommate and fellow junior Jackie Lis noticed how much catching on a daily basis again has meant to Carder.

“It’s meant a lot to her, kind of finally getting that catching spot back. Last year, she was ok splitting the catching time with Rylinn because Rylinn was a good catcher and she respected her, but I know that Anna just absolutely loves catching. She loves being back there, supportive, doing a job for her pitcher… and she just loves her effect on the game,” Lis said. 

To Sewell, it is clear that Carder has a bit of a different mindset this year. 

“The thing about Anna is that she’s going to go do or die to win a game, so it took her most of the season to adjust to being a DH and then go back to catching in the field,” Sewell said. “This year, she knows she’s going out there. I think there’s something to be said about when a player knows she’s in the lineup. There is a preparedness and settled feeling that allows for her to be at the ready.”

Being on the field every day has certainly helped Carder, who says that she’s playing with more poise than ever. 

“This year, I feel like even if I have a bad game I’m like, ‘It’s ok, this is how the game works,’” Carder said. “Now, I just have so much confidence in myself. I know I can do it because I’ve proven that to myself time and time again. Now that it’s more consistent, I am able to take in the games and I can be more consistent and perform better.”

For Carder, who Lis says is “genuinely one of the most unserious people I have ever met,” part of being ready to play revolves around keeping this unserious attitude at all times.

“The more serious she takes the game of softball, the more she thinks about it, the less she produces. She genuinely just does not even think, and I totally admire her for that, because I’m so jealous of that when Anna’s in the box, she’s not thinking a single thing, and I’m so jealous I can’t do that,” Lis said. 

“Not thinking” in the box appears to have really worked for Carder. Her batting average is over 100 points higher than during the 2024 season, and her .377 batting average and .575 slugging percentage are career highs and rank second and third, respectively, on the team. She is also on pace to shatter her career highs for hits, home runs and on base percentage.

“I mostly try to base my performance off just how I’m feeling, and I mostly try to base it off outcomes and not like, ‘Oh, what am I hitting statistic wise,’” Carder said. “But I’ve always been like that.”

Carder isn’t just a valuable bat and framer behind the plate, as Sewell outlines the role that she plays in the team’s culture. 

“What outsiders don’t see is her comedic side. She’s witty and funny and she can take the pressure off for her team,” Sewell said. “Anna is highly intelligent too, and despite her screaming at the top of her lungs after ripping a double, she’s really kind and gentle.”

Lis echoes the same kind of thoughts. 

“If you know Anna, it makes sense that she’s just kind of up there doing her thing, and you know, it’s probably going to work out for her most of the time too. It’s just funny to just watch her, cause even when she’s behind the plate, if the music’s on, she’s just back there dancing,” Lis said. “I can’t just take her seriously, I’m always just laughing, and usually I’ll be laughing at Anna.”

Though she may be visible dancing in full catcher gear between batters, Carder still cares deeply about the job she performs on the field.

“I’m trying to work really hard for my pitchers behind the plate, just trying to get as many strikes as I can for them and work with them the best that I can to make them feel comfortable,” Carder said. “That’s my number one agenda when I’m catching.”

Softball has always been “incomparable” among sports and the one Carder “loves the most.” But the reason she’s been playing this sport for so long, and  continued to do so at the college level,  is because of the “amazing” people she’s met and played with.

“I step on the field, and I’m not playing for myself… I want to play for my teammates, and I want to do the best that I can for them. It’s just a great feeling when you’re able to do that, and that’s really my favorite part,” Carder said. 

Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com. To stay up to date on all your southern Illinois news, be sure to follow The Daily Egyptian on Facebook.

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