The scenario – We got beat up pretty bad in the bottom half of the first inning and found ourselves down 7-1 before we could blink. After a scoreless 2nd inning by both teams something happened! Something HAPPENED happened!
There are moments throughout a coaches tenure we’ve all been in where we marvel at other teams and wonder, “why we aren’t doing THAT?” That’s the moment I had in the first inning. Their team was hitting hard shot after hard shot all over the field. I wondered why we weren’t able to stroke the ball with hard line drives like that? After that first inning, we collectively thought that the game was practically over and hopefully we could finish competitively.
NOT THESE GIRLS! Before the 3rd inning these girls must’ve drank a Fortnite “Chug Jug” or something.
Down 7-1 in the top of the 3rd, it started with a single by our #9 hitter, Riley McGovern (Toro). Our leadoff hitter, Khaliana Garrett struck out looking because she wasn’t granted a timeout right before the pitch. Lesson learned – 1 out. Omara Love follows with another single. Katelyn Ravasini (Rav) singles to load the bases. Up comes Camillie Davidson (Millie) with a bases clearing triple. It was a SHOT! Now I’m like, now THOSE are the types of hits I’m seeing from other teams. But I’m still skeptical.
Down 7-4 with Millie on 3rd, Kaylee Diggs singles to drive Millie home. Now it’s 7-5 with 1 out and Diggs is on 1st. Mckenna Lester hits a ROPE double to left center field to plate Diggs. She reaches 3rd on the throw home. 7-6 with still only 1 out. Payton Meyers hard linedrives out for out #2. Pitching change.
Our next batter Holly Stewart is walked on 4 straight pitches. The inning starter “Toro” is walked to load the bases. Khaliana hits a single to center field to score Mckenna and Holly. We’re up 8-7 & I’m still skeptical with the way our bats are going.
So Omara hits a single to move Toro to 3rd and Khali to 2nd basically loading the bases. This brings Rav to the plate with the bases loaded.
Timeout for a backstory – For the 2018 season, Katie was rounding out the bottom of our order while top 3 in leading the team in strikeouts. We started hitting together during the last fall season with a goal of cutting down on strikeouts for upcoming season. We completely changed her swing and after the first lesson she would later admit that she actually cried because it was difficult. However, she bought in. With her being so cerebral, she started to catch on quickly and the muscle memory was coming along exponentially faster than normal students.
She would look really good in lessons so much to the point that I couldn’t wait to see her on the field. Our very first tournament, she went 11/16, 0 strikeouts and quickly moved from 7-8 hitter to anchor the 3 spot. But I was still a little skeptical because anyone can have a great tournament. I’m the type of coach that wants technique right 100% of the time instead of being satisfied with that 10% technically wrong awesome play you made. So we wait and see…
Time back in from backstory – Bases loaded and Rav is up to the plate after already having her 2nd solid tournament at the plate (1 strikeout by this point).
I’m yelling, “STAY HOT #8!” I then turn around to head back to my 3rd base coaches box. Toro asks me the kind of question you call timeout, walk to the circle and occasionally ask a pitcher to take their mind off of their current situation – “If you could have a super power what would it be?” Who asks that?
Anyhow, my response, “I’d will Rav to hit this ball over the fence to score these 3 runs!” She goes, “Really? That’s not a superpower!” I said, “Rav’s about to swing out of her shoes as she loves this moment”.
Toro replied, “Really?”
“Yes!”
I could just tell. She had that look and she lives to be the hero.
I turn around and get ready for the pitch… All of a sudden I get a sudden case of whiplash as I knew it was a goner as soon as it came off the bat. It cleared about 10 feet beyond the 200 fence close to the left field foul pole. 12-7!
Millie ended the inning with another hard liner to RF.
After the game, I asked Rav, was she trying to hit it out? She didn’t want to give me the honest answer knowing I’m a 100% all the time techniques guy but she reluctantly stuck to her guns, “yes!”
I had to explain to her that I told Toro that I knew she’d swing for the fences and it’s ok within reason. I found her trying to do the same thing a game or 2 later and had to reel her back in to stick to technique.
Overall, Rav is 2nd on the team in BA (Omara Love) with a .611 BA, .889 Slugging percentage, 3 strikeouts, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR & 24 RBI’s through 14 games .
We win the game and eventually fight our way to the championship game by game 4 for the day. We ended up taking second but I couldn’t be more proud of the girls. They realize there’s more specific work we need to do this week at practice and that’s the good part. This is going to be fun.
Be like Rav!
