Seldom does Alexis Switenko have bad games.

She led the Syracuse softball team in home runs and RBI the past two seasons. She had SU’s highest batting average last season, yet she was hitless in two of the first four games of this weekend’s Sunshine State Tournament. Needless to say, the junior was bound to break out.

Did she ever.

Switenko belted her 19th-career home run in the Orange’s 10-3 romp of South Carolina to win the Sunshine State Tournament last weekend. The victory pushed the Orange to 4-2 this season with wins over two ranked opponents.

‘We proved to people that the UCLA game wasn’t a fluke,’ head coach Mary Jo Firnbach said, referring to the 2-1 over the defending national champions on Feb. 13. ‘Coming off the win, we could have gone two ways. We could have collapsed and been satisfied with it, or try to keep the momentum going and prove to people that we’re good. We came back, and they did what they needed to do and had a great tournament.’

The weekend started off poorly, with a loss to No. 15 Florida State, 8-6, in extra innings on Friday. The hangover lasted a game, as the Orange fell to Southeastern Louisiana later that day, 4-2. SU rebounded on Saturday, beating FSU and South Carolina. When they played the Gamecocks for the championship on Sunday, Switenko took over.

The junior finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs, including a first-inning homer to put the Orange ahead. She also set an SU record with her 21st multi-RBI game. After batting 2-for-13 in the first four games of the weekend, Switenko more than made up for it on the final day.

‘She’s a good hitter, and the more chances you can give a hitter like her, they’ll start coming through,’ Firnbach said. ‘She had seen the pitchers – we saw them the day before. That helped a lot. It helped her eyes, because she saw the way pitches came in. It helped her confidence level. She made adjustments.’

‘I started off really slow, and just relaxed,’ Switenko said. ‘I relaxed my swing on Sunday. I’m just glad we ended up on top.’

Before she knows it, Switenko will end up on top of many SU records. Coming into the season, she was top five in almost every offensive category. With the rest of this season and her entire senior year ahead, Switenko can continue to secure her spot in Orange history.

‘She’s always living up to her potential,’ Firnbach said. ‘Every year, she’s improved an aspect of her game. She’s not content with just being good; she wants to keep getting better.’

Recently, the shortstop has spent a lot of time improving her defense. Switenko is making plays deep in the hole that Firnbach has seldom seen from a Syracuse shortstop.

‘I know (shortstop) is an important spot, and you have to be taking charge of things there,’ Switenko said. But I like that.’

Her teammates categorized Switenko as a quiet leader who leads by an example, and their praise didn’t end there.

‘(Switenko) bleeds orange,’ said senior catcher Jaime Grillo. ‘She wears her number well.’

Grillo was referring to the legendary No. 44, a number made famous at Syracuse both on the football field and basketball court. Firnbach wanted to bring that tradition to the softball diamond, and she started it with Switenko.

A touted recruit coming out of Blue Anchor, N.J., several schools pursued Switenko. Firnbach’s sale pitch included a jersey number that would put Switenko in the company of football and lacrosse great Jim Brown and basketball star Derrick Coleman.

‘I wanted to build tradition in this program and start with that number,’ Firnbach said. ‘It has a lot of significance at this school, and we wanted to bring it to softball. She was one of the recruits I brought in who was deserving of it.

‘She was nervous about taking it at first because of how her teammates would look at it and because it’s a lot to live up to. But she knows that it’s a lot of responsibility and she’s lived up to it.’

Though the offer flattered Switenko, the coach – and not the coach’s offer – brought Switenko to Syracuse.

‘I didn’t realize what the number meant, and it was nice to even be asked,’ Switenko said. ‘The school was just a good fit. I loved the staff, and it just seemed right.’

Published on February 21, 2005 at 12:00 pm