Austen Whibley

Albert Einstein High School junior Austen Whibley said she didn't have any plans of pitching grandeur when she raised her hand at a softball clinic eight years ago. The opportunity to learn how to pitch was set in front of her and she went for it.

"I was at a clinic and [the coach] asked if anyone wanted to learn how to pitch and I was the only one who raised my hand, it was me and my friend, we were the only ones," Whibley said. "At the time I didn't have much confidence in myself, I just figured if someone got hurt or wasn't doing well, they could put me in. I figured I'd be the backup pitcher. I didn't take it too seriously."

That was then.

These days - though Whibley humbly shies away from taking too much credit - Einstein softball just about starts and stops with the left-handed hurler. High school fastpitch softball, in general, revolves heavily around pitching and her arrival as a freshman two years ago was just what the Titans needed. Whibley started every game as a freshman and for the first time since the 2006 graduation of Susan Miller, who went on to play softball at the University of Pennsylvania, Einstein didn't need to find ways to hide or compensate for weakness in the pitcher's circle.

Whibley was among the county's leaders with 151 strikeouts last year and has racked up 21 in just two games this spring - the Titans are 1-1. Though one person alone cannot win a softball game, pitcher or not, something Whibley is the first to admit, her presence in the circle gives the Titans a chance to win every time they take the field.

"It's nice [to have a strong pitcher]," longtime coach Einstein coach Joan Rackey said. "We don't get lots of [club softball players] but every now and then we'll get something. I think it gives the team a sense of security that [Whibley] is as good as she is. She also pushes the girls to want to be better."

Whibley said she has committed herself more in recent years to working year-round on honing her craft. She has worked with several individual coaches, including ninth-year Georgetown University softball coach Pat Conlan, whom she said was integral in her development. She has also worked individually with a batting coach, which Rackey said has been very clear early this spring - just two games in Whibley is batting over .600.

Rackey said Whibley's fastball, which possesses some movement of its own thanks to a bit of natural lefty spin, is coming in a lot harder this spring - she estimated low 60s in miles per hour. But Whibley's biggest improvement in the past year has been her variety, she and Rackey agreed. Rather than just try and blast through batters, something she can do against most teams the Titans will face, Whibley's work on controlling her spins will allow her to pitch more strategically.

"I'm definitely trying to master my curveball and changeup, I think those have been doing pretty well," Whibley said. "I'm working on spins a lot which has helped me with consistency in the strike zone. I'm just trying to work toward establishing myself [in the county], there are obviously better pitchers out there and I'm just trying to work there and get toward that."

Whibley also said she finds herself more comfortable in the circle this year thanks to the increased trust she has in her second-year catcher, Lili Habenstreit. Last year was the current sophomore's first year playing behind the plate and it took some time to get used to Whibley's speed but the two have spent the offseason practicing together and developing a profitable rapport and friendship.

Despite being one of the best players on the team since she was a freshman, Whibley was a little more reserved as an underclassmen, hesitant to overstep her bounds, she and Rackey said. But, as a voted team captain this spring, Whibley said she has relished her leadership responsibilities as well. Rackey said the Titans seem to respond to Whibley's work ethic.

"I think being a leader is important, we need people to step up and show us that we really can be a team that no one expects, we have the potential," Whibley said. "On some days it can be overwhelming that as a pitcher I have a lot of control, that no one else can pitch for me, I have to do it myself. But it's also motivating because I want to do well for my teammates."

jbeekman@gazette.net