Thursday, April 15, 1976
University Daily Kansan
7
Graves missed pitching a perfect game last week by giving up a single walk
Graves relies on 'total control'
By CHRIS COTTRELL
Sooth Writer
"It doesn't matter how good a pitcher you are, " Graves said. "I believe that pitching is more important."
What's the difference between a winning softball pitcher and a losing one? According to gloria Graves, pitcher for the University of Arizona, she pitches to a team, a big factor is the team's catcher.
"I FEEL LIKE A CATCHER has to have total control of the players on the field. You have to have confidence in the catcher, or you will miss pitches and pitchoments pitches," the Topeka sophomore said.
And it's not likely that anyone would argue the point—not after looking at her.
She said she had complete confidence in the catchers on the KU squad.
In 24 1/3 innings of work this season, Graves has allowed only one hit. As the result of control problems in one game, she's given up five runs, but she also has compiled 30 strikeouts on the year. Her season's record is 4-0.
IN HER MOST RECENT out-last—lifting a heavy rock from Graves plains five innings of no-hill ball before being lifted in the sash, KU went on to win by moving the batwavs; seak at 19 to 15.
A week ago, Graves pitched a no-hitter in a 13-0 walloping of Southwest Missouri State, missing a perfect game by only one walk.
KU coach Sharon Drysdale said Graves was pitching as well now as she'd ever seen her pitch, and credited off-season conditioning for her success.
"LAST YEAR, SHE was not in shape. I don't think psychologically as well as physically." Drysdale said. "But she's done a lot of work in the off-season. She's lost a lot of weight. She's done a lot of conditioning and a lot of preparation.
"I think she's extremely determined; she self-motivated, and I think the conditioning has helped her confidence as well as her performance."
Graves, who said she wasn't satisfied with her performance last season, agreed that the work she did in the off-season was a major factor in her success this year.
"I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED in my performance last year," Graves admitted. "At that time I was overweight and was having trouble with my knees."
But she said she thought her preparation for this season was better than that pre-season.
"I started running and working out two weeks after the season ended last year," she said. "I ran two miles every day up until the opening of our training program."
SHE SAID SHE HAD tried to develop a pitching style that permitted her to use her entire body—instead of just her arm—to get power on the ball.
"There are times when my entire body lifts off the ground for just a second," the hard-throwing right-hander said. "That's when I feel good because I know I'm using my entire body, and I'm getting the muscles to work together and not against each other."
"That's one reason why I feel that I haven't had a sore arm at all this season, even after a game," she said. "Even the players have a sore. I don't even know that I've pitched."
GRAVES SAID THAT she liked to use psychology when she pitched, and that she loved the table. But if a batter comes up to the plate looking very eager, she makes her wait a little longer than normal, she said. She uses the table because they dig who in dogs and gets set at the plate.
"Sometimes I'll stand on the mound and look directly at the catcher," she explained. "And just before I believe the time allotted for the catch is over, I'll back off the mound back on the catcher bag."
"Some of them will literally kind of shake their heads like, 'I don'tanna get up there,' and I throw an inside pitch to some of them, "she said. "They'll swine just to get out of there," she said.
SHE ALSO NOTICES THE batter's row and how often the player steps out of his box.
Graves said her major goal for the season was for KU to win the College World Series. She said that if her teammates continued to play the way they've been playing, winning could be a realistic goal, but she added that there was still room for improvement.
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"We have some things that we still have to work out," she said. "We're by no means a perfect team. But I think, more than anything, our strongest point is that everyone appreciates the other person's abilities. It's a unit."
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