VIDEO: BADGERS' NCAA JOURNEY BEGINS
not all smoke and mirrors, it's not just about trying
to force errors, it's a combination of things.''
The cumulative effect can't be underestimated.
"Every kid that sees 12 or 15 pitches in an at-bat,''
she went on, "you hope it pays off for one of your
big hitters against that pitcher after they've been
worn down a little bit.''
Darrah can attest to the impact of opposing slap
hitters.
"They're annoying,'' she said from a pitcher's perspective. "They're tough because they can foul off
pretty much any pitch that you can throw. But you
can't let it get to your head.''
When Darrah is on the mound, she relies heavily
on visualization. On the process, how it all plays out
from hitter to hitter, she said, "See the pitch, throw
it and see what they do with it.''
She also relies effectively on changing speeds,
ranging from a high of around 67 mph with her
fastball and a low of around 50 with her change-up.
Healy calls all of her pitches from the dugout.
"If you watch Major League Baseball, it's not just
about speed, but the location,'' Healy said. "Some
60 » VARSITY
MAY 16, 2013
kids can throw 70, but if they don't know where it's
going, it's fast-in and fast-out.
"Because she (Darrah) can hit her spots, we can
be really strategic and find hitters' weaknesses and
try to exploit them. We've got a game plan and
strategy; there's a lot of brain work going into it.''
Darrah, a junior from Corydon, Iowa, has been
pushed throughout the season by Meghan McIntosh, a senior from Sierra Vista, Calif. Both will be
used in the double-elimination regional.
"We're thrilled,'' Healy said, "to have two pitchers
who can go out there and be dominant.''
Added Darrah, "We feed off each. She (McIntosh)
has made me better. She's a big factor.''
During the bus ride from Lincoln to Madison last
Sunday night into Monday morning ― the team
got back around 1:30 a.m. ― the players watched a
video replay of their win in the Big Ten title game.
"It kind of made everything more real,'' said Darrah, knowing that there will be more snapshots
from their first steps in the NCAA tournament. Nobody appreciates location more than a pitcher.
This is a pretty good place to be, she agreed.
