Lights out!

Schmidt unbeaten through seven starts on mound for RRC/WWG softball team — and she’s whiffing opponents at a strong clip along the way

By Wayne Cook
WESTBROOK — Hard work during the summer has paid off handsomely for Audra Schmidt of Westbrook.

She’s a pitcher for the Red Rock Central/Westbrook-Walnut Grove softball team, which is 7-2 overall and 6-1 in the Red Rock Conference.

“I worked hard over the summer,” Schmidt said. “Pitching is something I love to do.”

The junior has compiled a 7-0 record and a 1.21 ERA. In 47 innings pitched, she’s racked up 63 strikeouts and given up 32 hits.

The summer commitment has bolstered Schmidt’s performance, to a point where she’s been truly dominant this spring.

Schmidt gives Jenny Hill, a former Augustana College coach, for her development.

“I go to her frequently,” Schmidt said. “She’s somebody I can rely on. When I need to do something, she said, ‘Do this, work on this.’

“She helps me a lot with my pitches. It’s fun to go to somebody who can change everything and who wants you to improve over time.”

The two have been working together since Schmidt was a fifth-grader.

“My aunt told me of a camp at Augustana,” Schmidt said. “I kept going to (Hill’s) camps. I went to a 1-on-1 camp with her. That’s how I got to know her. That’s how I learned how to pitch.

“It’s something you just don’t pick up on your own. You have to work up to it. You can’t pick up a ball and be excellent. You have to work hard for it.”

Schmidt has taken what she’s learned to improve her game.

She’s in her fourth year of high school softball, playing in her first varsity game as an eighth-grader.

“When you come up against varsity pitchers, you are really intimidated,” Schmidt said. “You learn to control yourself and concentrate on what you have to do. It helps to have experience under your belt, definitely.

“Every year, I do something different. Jenny changes my pitching motion. There are a lot of changes year to year — it’s all for the best. It’s work. I have a lot of respect for her. She’s been a good coach for me.”

Hill has made Schmidt into a fierce competitor.

“Basically, she’s made me what I am today,” Schmidt said. “She’s changed my form and taught me to throw all the pitches. I went to her when I needed to learn things. She showed me how to throw the pitches, and she worked on my mechanics, my form — all the basic stuff.”

This year, the Falcons’ hurler has updated her pitching arsenal by adding two pitches.

“I throw a rise all and a drop,too,” Schmidt said. “I didn’t really throw them last year. My curve is working.

“I have a fastball and change-up. When I’m mixing pitches, it’s pretty good. Some days, some pitches don’t work, and I have to find others. It’s nice to have options.”

Schmidt has good rapport with catcher, Kelly Shaner, who is new this year after having replaced Sarah Olson, who graduated.

“She’s new, but you can’t tell,” Schmidt said. “It seems like Kelly has been there (catching) forever. Maybe, I’ll tell her no (about a pitch she called) once in awhile. What she does is right. I trust her.

“We’re good friends and have the same goals in softball. We talk about the game, what we want to do. We know each other pretty well. We get in each other’s heads so that helps.”

The catcher’s role is important in softball.

“She sets me up and guides me to what I have to throw,” Schmidt said. “From last year, some things changed, and some didn’t. They are the same. Kelly probably has more of an arm. They are both really good catchers.”

Schmidt has a good supporting cast this season.

The Falcons have played good defense behind her.

“It’s nice to know I have good fielders,” Schmidt said. “If I make a mistake (pitching), I know they will be there for me.”

Schmidt is averaging nine strikeouts a game. She’s only walked seven.

“It’s getting ahead (in the count) and when I need to throw a strike, I can do that,” she said. “I try not to walk people because it makes me mad. I throw what Kelly feels is right. Setting (the batters) up, that’s mostly what it is.”

With a more confident pitcher, the Falcons seek to make a strong tournament run this season.

“I have high expectations for my team,” Schmidt said. “If I have a bad game, I try to figure what went wrong and work on it the next game. I have high expectations. We have a good team. I hope we can reach our goals.

‘When we were freshmen, we had a good team. We’ve been second in the conference for a long time.”

Schmidt has noticed a difference in WWG/RRC this year.

“At the end of last year, our hitting was slow,” she said. “This year, we’ve come out and hit.”