10A
SPORTS / FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME
Different styles and strength in bullpen help to make team stand out
BY HANNAH WISE
hwise@kansan.com
The Jayhawks are in a much different place this season than they were at this time last year. They hold a record of 17-3, two weeks before conference play begins.
before concluding.
The major difference between the two teams is the depth and caliber of the 2011 season's bullpen. The team boasts five very diverse pitchers, two of which are freshmen. Each player has a different style of getting the job done from the circle.
"We have different styles so one person can start the game and another can come in and the other team would be completely on their toes the entire time because they
would be seeing something completely different," said sophomore pitcher Alex Jones.
The pitchers are coached by D.J. Mathis, who is in her her first year at Kansas. Mathis said she had created a strong philosophy for the girls to believe in.
girls to believe.
"Our goal is to win. We like to hammer the zone and work ahead in the count," Mathis said. "I tell our girls every game, 'Our goal is to work ahead in the count and get your first out.' We use our defense and give our team a chance to win everyday."
So far this season, the players are sticking to that philosophy. They hold a team ERA of 2.90, compared with their opponents' 7.10 ERA, allowing 121 hits and
20 games.
20 games.
At the college level, pitchers can't rely on having power and speed alone to get strike outs, especially in the Big 12 where there are eight teams ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today Coaches Poll. For No. 35 Kansas, this means having pitchers that are able to consistently hit their spots and use different spins to throw batters off is even more
important.
"Something we work on day in and day out whether you are a freshman or a senior is hitting your spots and having the correct mechanics to hit your spots on a dime with all of your pitches," Mathis said.
and drive it where they want.
Matthis said.
For the most part, the fastball is not a key pitch in the college game, simply because giving a batter a ball that is fast and down the middle will allow her to wind up and make the easy swing at the ball.
That is not what the Jayhawk pitchers want to have happen.
Allie Clark. "Keep the ball down, because even if the batter does swing and make contact, we know that they will hit it on the ground and our team can work with that; get ahead, if we get ahead early in the count then that increases our chances of getting them out; give the team a chance, if we are working the knees and we are working ahead and we are getting people out then that gives the rest of the team a chance to win, to get on base and to get runs."
Mathis is working to develop all of these ideas in the pitchers. She wants them to have purpose when they step into the circle and to know exactly why they are throwing the pitches and how they are setting up the batter.
"We spend a lot of time talking
about pitch sequences," said Mathis. "We like to work the inside corner a lot. A lot of people like to hammer the outside corner and we like to think about it the other way. We like to work inside and trip people up and then hit the outside and change up speeds."
At this time last season, the team was 9-10, winning two games in less than seven innings. This season they finished six games in less than seven innings and won two extra-inning match ups. This is a different team and a different group of pitchers that have stayed focused on the fundamentals and doing their part to help the team win.
- Edited by Tali David
— Photos by Jerry Wang, graphic by Hannah Wise
THE PITCH
1. Start with two feet on the rubber in the circle.
2. Take a stride out.
3. Push off the mound with one leg driving into your X.
4. Follow through with your arm and pull your back leg through.
Allie Clark in the X stage of the pitch
Notes: The power in each pitch comes from the pitcher's legs. It is a full body motion, but if the pitcher can push off hard with her legs a lot of power will be generated.
Meet the pitchers ...
ALLIE CLARK Senior pitcher
Right handed
Pitches: drop curve, screw ball rise ball, change up
Notes: Clark is the leader for the pitching staff. She describes her pitching style as being wildly effective.
Her style has led to 24 strike outs on the season and 179 career strike outs. She currently has a 6-1 record from the circle, suffering her only loss against Minnesota (5-4).
"They don't really know where my ball is going because I have a lot of movement," Clark said.
KRISTIN MARTINEZ Freshman pitcher
Left handed
Pitches: curve, screw ball, rise, change up
Notes: Martinez is leading the Jayhawks with an 1.80 ERA.
She is currently 9-1 from the circle.
She has been a dominating force pitching a 7-0 shut out against San Diego last weekend.
"I have always relied on my spins to keep people off balance and just to keep them guessing," Martinez said.
She prefers to put spin on the ball rather that focusing on speed.
ASHLEY SPENCER
Junior pitcher
Right handed
"I'm usually getting us ground balls and letting us get out of innings a lot faster,"Spencer said.
Pitches: rise, drop, curve, screw ball, off-speed change
Notes: Spencer is a transfer from Cowley Community College. She pitched them to their sixthstraight Jayhawk East Conference championship.
She said that compared to the other girls she was in the middle on speed and tried to use more strategy than speed when she is in the circle.
ALEX JONES Sophomore pitcher right handed
ALEX JONES
Sophomore pitcher
Right handed
Pitches: curve, screw ball, rise, change-up, curve-change
Notes: Jones suffered a broken wrist six years ago that never healed. She did not find out the break until after beginning the weights regiment at Kansas
"its just something I have come to adapt to. It is something I have learned to throw with," Jones said.
She prefers to use her rise ball because of its movement in the zone. She also likes her change-up because it gives her the ability to work the corners of the plate.
COLLEEN HOHMAN Freshman pitcher Right handed
Right handed
Pitches: change-up, curve, screw and drop
Notes: Hohman has been working to mature as a pitcher since arriving at Kansas. She is working on developing into a more competitive pitcher that relies less on her fast ball and more on spins.
"My whole life I have been a pitcher that throws typically harder. I relied a lot on my fast ball, but the college level is different and a lot of movement needs to come in," Hohman said.
SOFTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 12A)
Communication helps the team to play more efficiently because everyone knows who is going to get each ball and where the outs are going.
Megan Smith said.
are going. The team continued to spend time in the batting cages to build on fundamentals. They are working toward the types of pitches they will see in Big 12 play.
they will see us.
"We are focusing more on pitchers that spin the ball than speed. We are just working on being more patient up at the plate and really hitting our pitches," sophomore Mariah Montgomery said.
"We looked really good in practice so I think we are going to come out and execute our game plan."
Despite falling back slightly during the UNLV game last weekend, this Jayhawk team has a special bond that helps them rally back
to make adjustments. It has created a sense of confidence among the players and in each other's abilities.
"I think the players look more comfortable up at the plate, more comfortable on the field. They have learned each other defensively, learned each other's range, learned to communicate with each other." Smith said.
other, Smith said.
The amount of confidence and trust the players have with one another is not something every team has. It is an intangible that coaches desire in teams and it is something that they cannot teach.
This weekend the Jayawks will face Mount Saint Mary, Alabama State, Delaware State and North Florida in the North Florida Tournament.
Edited by Marla Daniels
QA with Kansas catchers Brittany Hile and Leah Daiber
Q: How is catching for each pitcher different?
Hile: They are all unique in their own way so it is a lot of fun to catch each one. They are so different and all talented and have their own speical pitches so it is a lot of fun.
Daiber: Its just fun because their approaches are different. Some will start with the inside, some go outside and it depends on where we are in the line up and what kind of hitter is up. It is really cool to be able to use different pitchers in different situations.
1
Q: How does your relationship with each pitcher affect how you interact?
Hile: Some you can be more hard on and some you just have to remind them just how good they are and kind of keep them on track.
them just how good they are and know them Daiber: You have to get to know each pitcher. You have to get to know them and catch them before you know what they are thinking and how they respond to what you say to them.
Hile: I have to communicate with everybody and not just the pitchers. I am just making sure that I am the voice on the field.
Q: Can you describe your role as a catcher?
Daiber: The thing I look at most is how a pitcher is throwing and if a pitch isn't working quite as well then I work with her to find those key words to help her fix it.
BRITTANY HILE Senior catcher
LEAH DAIBER Junior catcher
I