Through the first 13 games of the softball schedule, Syracuse catcher Amy Kelley was batting .237 with only one home run, the only run she scored all season.

All the drills, sprints and swings in the cage during the summer that produced drips of sweat running down her face were now producing irritating walks back to the dugout.

Kelley was excelling at the physical part of the game, but couldn’t conquer the mental aspect of getting comfortable in the batter’s box. Instead of going to a coach or upperclassmen, the junior sought advice from a surprising choice – a freshman.

‘I actually went to Hallie Gibbs and was kind of like, ‘What do you to relax?” Kelley said. ‘Because I mean, her first at bat of her career was a home run over the fence. Who does that?’

The advice has paid off. In the last 14 games, Kelley raised her average 109 points to a team-high .346.

Kelly hopes to continue the hot streak this weekend as the Orange plays its home opener today at the SU Softball Stadium, with a doubleheader against Providence at 2 p.m. Syracuse will be back in action Sunday for another doubleheader against Connecticut, set to begin at noon.

Kelley is hitting .450, with five home runs, 11 runs and a .925 a slugging percentage in the last 14 games. During the span, Kelley put together a streak of four consecutive games (March 16-30) with a homer.

Syracuse is 10-4 since Kelley has found her stroke.

The freshman Gibbs’ solution for Kelley wasn’t a complicated one. She told Kelley not to overthink things. See the ball and hit the ball. But it wasn’t a softball she told her to see.

‘I just said you’ve got to relax and look at the pitcher and think, ‘Here comes that beach ball,” Gibbs said.

It may have been a strange theory, but Kelley said she respects Gibbs as a hitter, and even though she may not have as much collegiate experience, she has just as much knowledge as anyone. It looks to be working.

Kelley’s average has gone up in part thanks to her plate discipline. She is the 12th-hardest hitter to strike out in the nation, getting rung up once every 19.5 plate appearances.

‘It’s more just being comfortable,’ Kelley said. ‘And just knowing no matter what they are going to bring, it’s being selective. That’s the big thing, waiting for that pitch that’s going to come and getting the best possible chance for yourself.’

Gibbs wasn’t the only one trying to help out Kelley. Syracuse head coach Leigh Ross projected Kelley as the team’s future cleanup hitter, so she knew the third-year player had great offensive ability. Ross saw Kelley’s defensive swings and told her not to be afraid stepping to the plate, there’s a strong possibility the pitcher is much more intimidated.

‘My gosh, the size of the kid. I mean, pitchers when she walks up there, she’s 6-foot-1, (I said) you’re a strong athlete,’ Ross said. ‘People do not want to throw to you. They somehow have to get a ball past this 17-inch plate and past you. And that’s tough, when you’re taking up of that batter’s box. You’re just intimidating to look at. So start playing that way.’

Kelley did and has propelled herself to the top of the team’s batting statistics, including average (.346), home runs (six), slugging percentage, (.615), and on-base percentage (.414). She not only leads those categories but has a distinct advantage over the second-best players.

Kelley leads by 19 points in batting average, doubles the next player in line in home runs and leads slugging percentage by a staggering 165 points.

Ask Kelley, though, and she may not even realize all the success she is having. She’s dominating offensively, but the statistical side of softball isn’t why she plays.

Kelly may have no problem producing those statistics, though, it’s just calculating them which can be a problem – so she keeps it easy.

‘Stats I don’t (get into), I mean people say stuff but I don’t,’ Kelley said. ‘I don’t follow. I was just asking (Nicole Miller) what slugging percentage is. I don’t know how they calculate that. It’s pretty much just set a goal for myself. You know just get one hit a game.’

mibonner@syr.edu

Published on April 3, 2008 at 12:00 pm