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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2015
PAGE11
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THE DAILY DEBATE
WHICH KANSAS PITCHER IS NEXT BEST TO ALICIA PILLE?
BRYN HOULTON
Senior Pitcher Alicia Pille from Royse City, Texas, is no doubt the ace of the Kansas softball team. However, as Jayhawk fans have seen as of late, no one pitcher should carry the entire team.
Pille started to dip during the Texas series. Facing off against the Longhorns in March, she only pitched 6.3 innings and earned losses in all three games. Her ERA was a combined 6.77, way too high for a pitcher of her caliber.
This past weekend, Kansas fans witnessed her struggles again, as she pitched just 3.1 innings against the Lady Red Raiders. Now, I'm not saying Alicia Pille should be removed, but it is obvious Kansas should have a valuable second option to back her up in times of need.
As Pille is a senior, the Jayhawks need to start looking toward the future, and with most of their pitching rotation consisting of freshmen and sophomores, the future is bright — and starts with Houlton. She has had her opportunities this year, being able to come in and replace Pille and also staying in games.
This year that second option is freshman Bryn Houlton from Savanna, Okla.
During a recent loss to the Texas Longhorns on March 28, Houlton replaced Pille, who had a season low of 1/3 inning pitched.
Houlton's record this season as a pitcher is 10-4 with a total ERA of 3.15. For a freshman, that's impressive.
Houlton held the Longhorns to only three runs for the rest of the game. Pille gave up a season-high eight runs, and the final score was 11-5.
For Houlton to come into such a tough situation in which her team trailed 8-0 early, it shows she can stay composed while faced with the pressure of trying not to give up anymore runs. Houlton was victorious in that category.
Not only has she had success
as a second option behind Pille, but as a starter, as well. This past Saturday against Texas Tech, she pitched six innings and earned the win, only giving up six hits, three runs and an ERA of 3.15.
"NOT ONLY HAS SHE HAD SUCCESS AS A SECOND OPTION BEHIND PILLE, BUT AS A STARTER, AS WELL."
As Kansas softball looks to the future, it looks like there will be many positive pitching performances. As far as this season goes, senior leader Pille is carrying the load as far as pitching goes and when she needs a break, coach Megan Smith should look to bring in Houlton. Not only does that give rest to Pille, but also gives Houlton the experience needed to mark her name in Kansas softball pitching perfection as only a freshman.
- Edited by Laura Kubicki
In softball, it's easy to let your star pitcher go all year. They don't suffer the short-term effects baseball pitchers do when they throw too much, so when a pitcher is on, why take her off?
SOPHIA TEMPLIN
However, if Kansas wants to have any success in the postseason, Alicia Pille has to be rested and fresh. She began the season as one of the best pitchers in the country, going one month without losing a game with a 2.07 ERA. Now Pille has the best mark on the team with a 2.72 ERA, and she continues to be the Jayhawks' ace-in-the-hole when the lights are brightest.
But in order to keep Pille healthy and fresh for the NCAA Regionals, Kansas needs another option to turn to in the circle until the end
of the season. With crucial clashes against Oklahoma and Baylor coming up, Kansas desperately needs a good second option to pitch.
Sophia Templin, a sophomore from DeSoto, uses numerous off-speed pitches. She is the layhawks' best option to fill the void when Pille can't stand in the circle.
Templin has a 4.04 ERA in 13 appearances, in which she's gone 4-1. She's given up the fewest runs of anyone on the team, despite pitching the third-most innings and making the second-most appearances. She doesn't give up the long ball — just two in 26 innings — and her pitch-to-contact style has led her to face just 101 batters. Her 3.88 batters per inning stat is tied for second on the team, along with her 27 strikeouts.
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Templin's curveball is dirty, and it did a tremendous job of confusing the Texas hitters when they played Kansas at Rock Chalk Park in March. In that series, Pille gave up eight earned runs on 12 hits in just seven innings. Templin gave up just five earned in seven and a third.
most sense because, simply, no team preparing for Pillle would be ready to face an off-speed pitcher like Templin.
When Templin came into the Texas series, Longhorn hitters were out in front of almost all her pitches and ended up grounding out more often than not. Templin's ability to keep the ball low in the zone and establish the outside part of the plate allows her to work around power hitters and make very few mistakes. Her off-speed pitches contrast starkly with Pille's pace, and that one-two punch is enough to fool any lineup in the Big 12.
Templin would make the
"NO TEAM PREPARING FOR PILLE WOULD BE READY TO FACE AN OFF-SPEED PITCHER LIKE TEMPLIN."
While Pile remains the No.1 option, Templin is the ideal second-option pitcher for coach Megan Smith.
Edited by Laura Kubicki
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