It didn’t take Michelle Batts long to show she would be a major contributor to Northwestern’s softball team.
Against No. 3 Texas A&M on Feb. 15 in her second college at-bat, she homered off All-American Amanda Scarborough in helping the Wildcats to an 8-7 victory in their season opener at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
“I get excited every time Batts gets up,” Wildcats coach Kate Drohan said.
Indeed, Drohan is excited about her entire freshman class. Batts is one of four rookie starters for NU, which heads into the NCAA regionals Friday as the No. 11 tournament seed overall when it plays host to Western Illinois after Drake and DePaul meet at noon.
Batts has been a season-long starter at first base. In addition, outfielders Kelly Quinn and Jordan Wheeler and third baseman Robin Thompson have settled into Drohan’s lineup.
The four freshmen have been starting together since an April 6 doubleheader sweep of Ohio State in Columbus. The Wildcats (37-13) have gone 19-4 with their current lineup.
“I like to stick to one lineup,” Drohan said. “This year for the first 25 games we worked with a lot of different combinations, and a lot of different people stepped up for us at different times of the year. The freshmen have really impressed us with their composure.”
Northwestern’s fate in the tournament still may be decided by the elder Wildcats, most notably national player of the year candidate Tammy Williams. The junior shortstop is hitting .469 with 10 homers and 38 RBIs. Williams was named Big Ten player of the year and sophomore Lauren Delaney pitcher of the year.
But the freshmen will be needed, especially Batts. The Glenbard North graduate took over at first base for graduated three-time Big Ten player of the year Garland Cooper, even taking Cooper’s uniform No. 23.
She has shown similar ability with a team-leading 42 RBIs. Her 12 homers ties junior Erin Dyer for second on the team behind sophomore Nicole Pauly, who has 13.
The left-handed hitting Batts has shown power to the opposite field. Sometimes it appears she just flicks her wrists and the ball flies.
“I’ve looked at myself on camera and it seems like I don’t finish through the ball,” Batts said.
“I just try to hit it as hard as I can, and sometimes it just goes — the velocity of the pitch and my wrists, I guess.”
Ah, the wrists. And hands.
“She has such quick hands — you can see it when she picks up the ball at first base,” Drohan said. “Plus, she works hard understanding her swing, understanding her approach. Along with her work ethic, that has let her perform at this level.”
The influx of freshmen has affected some older players such as Darcy Sengewald, the team’s only senior. Sengewald started at third base last year but has moved to the designated player role to make room for Thompson. Thompson, a native of Detroit who’s hitting .253, has given the Wildcats speed with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts.
Meanwhile, Wheeler has started 44 games. The native of Garden Grove, Calif., struggled at the plate early, going 1-for 24, but has raised her average to .246. Since her slow start, she’s hitting .292.
Quinn, batting .289, has started 31 games. As a pinch-hitter, the Glenbrook North product is 5-for-11 with five RBIs and a home run.
“It has been great, all the opportunities I’ve gotten,” Quinn said. “I was able to get at-bats in the first couple of games and that helped me feel comfortable.”
She said it hasn’t been hard for the freshmen to blend in.
“We have a rule on our team that we don’t have different classes,” Quinn said. “Once we started conditioning in the fall, we weren’t freshmen.”
The Wildcats’ schedule prevented them from easing into things, Drohan said.
“We were playing (No. 1-ranked Arizona) in our third game,” Drohan said, recalling an 8-5 Northwestern victory at the Kajikawa Classic. “They understand what jitters feel like. Then we teach them how to execute and perform in that moment, and that builds confidence. It’s a combination of things.”
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tabannon@tribune.com
