Even immediately after Sam Stewart’s clutch hit lifted the Valparaiso softball team to the Horizon League title, coach Kate Stake couldn’t stop talking about her starting catcher’s defense.
Stewart, a Frankfort, Ill., native and Lincoln-Way East graduate, went 5-for-12 in the conference tournament. She notched a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to tie the championship game against Wright State.
However, it wasn’t with the bat where the tournament MVP made her biggest impact for the Crusaders, who will play at No. 2 Michigan at 6 p.m. Friday in the NCAA Regional.
“She did a fantastic job behind the plate,” Stake said. “She did such a good job catching Taylor (Weissenhofer). I don’t want that to be overlooked. Certainly she can hit and she came through in clutch situations, but defensively it was her and Taylor.”
As a freshman, Stewart played third base and was a designated hitter, with sophomore Janelle Bouchard owning the starting catching job.
When Bouchard transferred to Maine before the 2015 season, Stewart didn’t take over catching duties right away. Jenna Stauffenberg, a freshman, snagged the role, with Stewart making six starts at catcher and just eight starts overall.
Now as a junior, Stewart has found her comfort zone behind the plate and has contributed to the turnaround of Valpo’s pitching staff. She caught all 29 innings of the league tournament.
“Getting back to catching was awesome,” Stewart said. “I was mostly a catcher in high school. I caught most of my life. I try to make the pitchers look good no matter where the ball is. I’m there to help the pitchers get those strikes.”
Both Stake and Weissenhofer also listed framing as Stewart’s strength.
“Sam’s great. She gets a lot of calls for me that no one else would,” Weissenhofer said. “She knows how to work the batters and work the umpires to get calls.”
The addition of pitching coach Monica Wright this season also impacted Valparaiso’s catching corps. Wright has contributed to Stewart’s steady defensive improvement.
“One of her weaker points was throwing people out — she didn’t have the best arm,” Stake said. “She’s worked really hard this year on learning to throw from her knees. That’s reduced her pop time and helped her transfer time. It has really helped her turn into a well-rounded catcher.”
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Stewart’s offensive contributions also aided Valparaiso’s improbable run as the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Tournament. Her .279 average ranks third on the team. She leads the Crusaders in home runs with seven and RBIs with 33.
The Crusaders (18-32) face Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Former Valpo pitcher Alex Lagesse, who was the Crusaders’ pitching coach in Stewart’s freshman year, is a volunteer assistant for the Wolverines (46-5).
“Looking back to where we started and where we are now, we’re leaps and bounds past expectations of a lot of people,” Stewart said. “It’s going to be awesome, but as soon as we step on the field we’re not going to be intimidated that we’re at the University of Michigan playing the No. 2 team in the nation. We’re ready to play.”
Brandon Vickrey is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.