6A — Thursday, April 6, 2017
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Seizing catcher role, Alexander aids Betsa’s pitching
When
sophomore
catcher
Katie Alexander visits senior
right-hander Megan Betsa in
the circle between pitches, the
message is usually simple: just
breathe.
As complex as a softball
pitcher’s throwing technique can
be, that’s what the pair focuses on
in the middle of pressure-cooker
games.
Alexander’s
pointer
comes
from an offseason yoga program,
which was originally intended to
relieve lingering pain in Betsa’s
back
and
shoulder.
Instead,
yoga has become the basis for
Alexander’s fix to any fluster
the Michigan softball team’s ace
might experience.
“When (Betsa) breathes and
focuses on spin, then it happens
for her,” Alexander said.
Even
in
the
best
of
performances
for
Betsa,
Alexander’s
presence
is
consistent.
In the seventh inning of a
nearly flawless March effort
against Kent State, Betsa became
visibly frustrated after walking
a batter to bring the game-tying
run to the plate.
But
there
was
Alexander,
jogging out to the circle to tell the
starter exactly what she needed
to
hear.
Betsa
subsequently
struck out the final two batters of
the game, completing the shutout
and her fourth-career no-hitter.
“Katie has gotten comfortable
communicating
with
(the
pitchers) and letting them know
what they need to do better,” said
pitching coach Jen Brundage.
“Anytime
the
catcher
takes
charge and can go out to the
mound to calm the pitcher down,
it’s a good thing and a sign of
maturity in that catcher.”
Added Michigan coach Carol
Hutchins: “Catchers are selfless.
They’re
there
to
make
the
pitchers feel good. Tell her what
she needs to know and tell her
what she needs to hear. You want
them to beat as one heart — that’s
for sure.”
Reaping
the
benefits
of
Alexander’s mound visits, Betsa
is on the best stretch of her
career. In the past three weeks,
she’s tallied seven complete-game
shutouts, two no-hitters and
three-straight Big Ten Pitcher of
the Week honors.
As the season progresses, the
chemistry between the pair on
and off the field continues to
grow. Though the pair are two
years apart, Alexander considers
Betsa “a best friend.”
That relationship is apparent
throughout their starts together,
as Betsa and Alexander are
almost always the first to high-
five each other after the final out
of an inning.
But that chemistry is still
relatively young.
Alexander caught just 13 games
last season, spending most of the
season as the bullpen catcher
behind both junior Aidan Falk and
sophomore Alex Sobczak. After
Falk moved back to first base this
season, however, a battle between
Alexander and Sobczak ensued.
And Sobczak — using 29
appearances from 2016 to boost
her resume — was called upon to
start six of the first seven games
for the Wolverines.
Recently, however, Alexander’s
hot bat convinced Hutchins to
make her the go-to catcher. In 23
starts, Alexander has hit .293 with
eight RBI and a homerun, besting
Sobczak’s .200 batting average.
“Katie totally took advantage
of her opportunities,” Hutchins
said. “She’s provided some great
offense, and she’s a great spark.
She took over that position.”
Behind the plate, Alexander
excels at blocking pitches in the
dirt — essential to catching for
Betsa, who bounces breaking balls
to garner swinging third strikes.
“She does a really nice job
smothering the ball,” Hutchins
said. “That’s a big quality when
you have a pitcher like Betsa, who
lives off throwing it in the dirt
and making them swing.”
But to prepare for a larger role
this season, Alexander needed
to improve defensively, putting a
strong focus on framing pitches
and adjusting to Betsa’s repertoire.
Alexander spent most of the
summer practicing with Sobczak,
working on not tipping off Betsa’s
rise ball by “going up with the
pitch” rather than giving a high
target prior to the pitch.
That, along with an increased
focus on framing pitches, has
allowed Betsa to nip corners
and notch a nation-leading 221
strikeouts.
“Whether it’s her body position
or the way she catches the ball,
she’s getting a lot more calls back
there,” Betsa said. “It’s helping
me out a lot.”
Thanks to Alexander, Betsa’s
transition to a new catcher for
the second straight season has
occurred
with
no
apparent
hitches.
But if the ace does endure
any problems in the circle, she
knows Alexander will visit with a
straightforward message.
Just breathe.
MARK CALCAGNO
Daily Sports Writer
SENIOR RIGHT-
HANDER MEGAN
BETSA
2017 Season
13-5
Win/Loss Record
1.23
Earned-Run
Average
221
Total Strikeouts
.139
Opponent Batting
Average
Reunited, Williams experiences her final game with twin sister
It happened after all the
frenzy and after all the shouts of
excitement and team hugs. After
realizing that her team was the
first Michigan women’s basketball
team to win a championship and
hang a banner at Crisler Center.
It was after she got to look up
at the scoreboard and see her
team had beaten Georgia Tech,
89-79, in the final of the Women’s
National Invitation Tournament.
And it was after playing the final
game of her collegiate career in a
Michigan jersey.
After all of this, senior guard
Danielle Williams got to hug her
identical twin sister, Dominique.
Dominique had hopped a red-
eye from UCLA — where she
plays on the Bruins’ women’s
basketball team — to surprise her
sister in the middle of pregame
warmups. Danielle was shocked,
especially
as
she
had
been
trying to FaceTime and call her
periodically throughout the day.
They
embraced
tightly
at
the team’s bench, both of them
slightly emotional.
After
all
of
the
hysteric
celebration, Danielle was able to
describe why that moment was so
emotional.
“I think she’s the greatest
person that I know,” Williams
said. “I will tell everybody
that. We always joke like, ‘oh
who’s the better twin?’ Not just
in basketball, but in life. But
honestly, I would always pick her.
She’s the better one every single
day and every single time, no
matter what.
“She’s just that great, that
selfless, that wonderful, and I’m
just … I can’t believe she’s here,
and it makes this that much more
wonderful.”
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico has just as much praise for
Danielle herself. Earlier in the year
and throughout Williams’ career,
Barnes Arico has commended
Williams for her contributions
off the court, saying, “there’s not
a day that goes by that I’m not
thankful that Danielle Williams is
in the program.”
Barnes Arico even went so
far as to add: “Every program
needs a Danielle Williams. If my
child could ever be like Danielle
Williams, I would’ve hit a home
run.”
Laura Williams, the twins’
mother, described the moment
that Danielle realized Dominique
would be her lifelong friend.
The two, according to their
mom, are inseparable. And when
Dominique walked into Calihan
Hall, Danielle’s “jaw dropped.”
The
athletes
decided
to
commit to different schools, a
difficult decision for the two of
them, but one they knew they
needed to forge their own paths.
But,
according
to
Danielle,
the duo still talks constantly,
making the distance feel minute.
Other things, too, tie the twins
closer together. For example,
Dominique was also selected as
a team captain by her peers and,
like Danielle, Dominique also
wears the number 20 to honor
WNBA Indiana Fever guard
Briann January.
“I just think (the game was)
great,” Dominique said. “Either
way, it’s great. Win or lose, I’m
proud of her. She’s done so much
on and off the court, I’m just so
proud of her. I’m excited for what
she’s done in a Michigan uniform.”
Despite not playing as many
minutes or stuffing the stat sheet
as much as other players, Williams
was voted as a team captain for
two consecutive years. Some
teammates even refer to her as
‘the Mom.’ Every single Wolverine
felt motivated to win the WNIT
for Danielle and her fellow senior
guard Siera Thompson.
In her final year, Williams
averaged 1.9 points per game, 2.8
rebounds and played an average of
17 minutes, though she appeared
in all 37 games and started in 21.
As a junior, she earned Academic
All-Big Ten and her third varsity
letter.
Williams will leave behind a
gap in the roster, as most seniors
do. Both she and Thompson were
Barnes Arico’s first recruits for
Michgian, making the pair a
special class for the coach.
In the WNIT championship
game,
Williams
grabbed
two
offensive
rebounds
and
three defensive rebounds and
contributed four points to the
team’s total. She ended her
college career by playing 35 of the
55 total minutes of the game.
Despite
any
personal
achievements Williams may have
had this season, she still remains
humble to her team.
“I just don’t have any words,”
Williams said. “It took everybody,
and it took everything. Everybody
contributed
and
everybody
stepped up on the team. I can go
through every single person on
our team and things that they
did tonight that they worked
throughout the whole season
for. We earned it, we definitely
earned it.”
And, at the end, she got to earn
it with her better half watching.
SYLVANNA GROSS
Daily Sports Editor
“She’s done so
much on and
off the court,
I’m just so
proud of her”
ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
Sophomore catcher Katie Alexander has forced her way in as the starter, and become a calming influence behind the plate for senior right-hander Megan Betsa.
“When (Betsa)
breathes and
focuses on spin,
then it happens
for her”
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Senior guard Danielle Williams was surpised by her identical twin sister Dominique, who flew in from UCLA, at the WNIT championship game Saturday.