My DD can hit!

[JAD]

That's probably the case.

I think I solved the problem, but had to put the videos on two different posts.

 

[JAD]

JAD She looked great this weekend! She is so composed and looked like an upperclassman on the mound, especially when defense wasn't working behind her. I kept thinking to myself that if she looks like this with a painful injury, I can't IMAGINE what she can do without an injury! Congratulations on a fantastic weekend for her.

Thank you for the kind words! I watched the game today on WatchESPN and noticed that when we were down 0-5 and things were not going well for us Amelia (one of our other pitchers) was warming up in the bullpen. It made me stop and think how differently things could have turned out this weekend if my DD was pulled before her second at bat when she hit the HR. Probably would not have DP'd in the other games and who know how things would have worked out for my DD or the team....

 

[ANNASDAD]

Gotta love a pitcher that can help herself, great job Katherine!! It may just be me, but I swear when Anna's hitting really good, everything improves, her pitching, her infield play, her outlook on the game. Hitting fixes everything! JAD, I bet you couldn't wipe the smile off your face!

 

[Orange Socks]

I shared this with a Pitcher's dad whose DD can mash, but her TB and HS coaches won't let her hit. There is hope for Pitchers!

 

[JAD]

I shared this with a Pitcher's dad whose DD can mash, but her TB and HS coaches won't let her hit. There is hope for Pitchers!

Never loose faith, but Katherine is in a unique situation, there are only 17 players on the team and very few upperclassmen.

 

[JAD]

I shared this with a Pitcher's dad whose DD can mash, but her TB and HS coaches won't let her hit. There is hope for Pitchers!

My DD does not have a HUGE bat, but there have been several good examples of great pitchers who also hit at high level D1 programs - Jenny Finch, Lauren Haeger, Kelani Ricketts.

 

[_MIA_]

My DD was a "pitch-and-sit" in 16U and 18U TB after she joined a marquee organization team. Her coaches carried 16+ players on the roster and it was just easier to keep more players/parents happy by not letting the pitchers hit except on a few rare occasions when the coaches could bat the entire lineup. Therefore, DD and I did not spend the time, effort, or money on private batting lessons or hitting multiple times a week after she was 14. When we went for pitching lessons she would still bring her bat and we would spend 20-30 minutes in the cage doing some tee work and side/front toss, but that was more about having fun and shooting the bull before we got down to business during her pitching lesson. DD was recruited as a pitcher, and to be honest I do not think her college coaches ever saw her swing a bat - she hit in HS, but college coaches were never there to see it.

In the fall DD's college team struggled to score runs and we lost several tight ballgames 1-0, 2-1 with half the team batting below .200...so I told my DD she needed to pickup a bat and tell the coaches she wanted to hit. She worked hard in the cages and at being more selective at the plate. Having two college coaches who were highly decorated college pitchers throwing BP also helps ALOT, especially when one of them still pitches in the NPF! DD worked hard, and while she did not get to bat during their first tournament there were still a couple of players struggling at the plate. So this weekend the coaches agreed to let DD hit for herself and they would DP/Flex for another position. I know some of the DFP fans have already seen the game on WatchESPN, but here is the "Dad perspective" video of the first home run in Duke softball history...

After my DD's success at the plate during the game she was pitching, the coaches decided to make her the DP for the duration of the tournament, and the rest as they say "is history". Below are her hitting stats for the weekend...I realize that there is no way that she will keep up this pace, but I cannot tell you how proud I am of my DD for putting in the extra work to help herself (win games pitching) and her team.

Player avg gp-gs ab r h 2b 3b hr rbi tb slg% bb hbp so gdp ob%
Katherine Huey .583 6-6 12 3 7 1 0 2 8 14 1.167 2 0 3 0 .643


She was also named the B1G/ACC Challenge MVP for the Durham site...and did it all with a torn labrum in her hip!

Nice. Congrats to Katherine!!

Is that a relatively new stadium? When I was a graduate student there there many moons ago I don't remember the softball field being so nice. Is it adjacent to the baseball field?

 

[JAD]

Nice. Congrats to Katherine!!

Is that a relatively new stadium? When I was a graduate student there there many moons ago I don't remember the softball field being so nice. Is it adjacent to the baseball field?

Brand spanking new, first game ever was played Sept 30, 2017, and it is on East Campus right next to field hockey.

 

[Tatonka]

You've got to be extremely proud! What a start to the season and the program!!

 

[Eric F]

In addition to that first HR, Kat followed it up with an RBI single to give Duke the lead, and eventually the win. I was just as impressed with that.