Coaches love those players willing to run through a wall for them, and Neuqua Valley outfielder Jenny Budds already has earned that love this season.
During a tournament game in Tennessee to start the year, Budds raced after a long fly ball and collided hard with the fence in center field. Something had to give.
“She ran through it,” Neuqua coach Laura McCarthy said. “She took the fence down.”
Budds, a senior, laughed when asked about plowing over the fence.
“It’s not as cool as it sounds,” Budds said. “The ball was way over my head and I just went for it. I knew where the fence was but I had to keep going. I mean, what are you going to do? I was trying to be aggressive.”
Physical toughness is one thing, but when athletes talk about toughness, 99 percent of the time it’s mental toughness they’re talking about.
“I’ve worked on that over the years,” Budds said. “It’s a hard quality to develop.
“Physical toughness is important but you have to be mentally tough in this game in order to be good at it.”
As a third-year varsity player, Budds’ mental toughness has evolved, most evident by her approach at the plate. Where falling behind in the count to a pitcher may have once rattled her, she now uses that anxiety to her advantage.
“I feel a lot better than I did last year,” Budds said. “I’m coming to the plate more prepared, more confident. I can still get down on myself at times but I’ve worked hard in the off-season during the winter and I feel better at the plate.”
McCarthy watched Budds last season and confirms the improvement.
“If I were a pitcher, I’m more afraid of her if I’m down in the count,” McCarthy said. “She’s driven to do better in that situation. She’s a fighter. She can guess what a pitcher is going to throw before they throw it.”
Tri-captain Budds will play for Upper Iowa University next year, but for now she’s committed to being one of the straws that stirs the Wildcats’ drink.
“If I were to describe Jen in one word, it would be ‘toughness,'” McCarthy said. “If she runs into a wall and bounces off it, she runs into it even harder.”
Off and running
Waubonsie Valley’s 5-3 win Wednesday over Burlington Centra featured a milestone for Warriors shortstop Michele Calabrese besides going 3-for-3.
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“She’s a freshman and it was her first career home run,” Waubonsie coach Valerie Wood said. “She’s been coming through for us really big. It’s a big deal to be a freshman on the varsity and she seems so poised so far. I’m very excited for her.”
Stoppelman key
With two freshmen and three sophomores playing prominent roles at Benet, junior starting pitcher Megan Stoppelman might carry an extra-heavy load this year.
“She’s our only pitcher,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “She can’t possibly have her best stuff every game and our young players are going to get better and better, but they’re going to make mistakes.”
Stoppelman pitched Benet to a 3-1 record to start the year.
“Last year I was No. 2 or No. 3 (pitcher) and I tried to be ready whenever I was needed,” Stoppelman said. “I’ll just try to keep the ball down, throw my pitches, and stay solid.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance writer.