Sydney Laslie is a sophomore for the Providence Pioneers. She began pitching when she was 8 and wanted to become a pitcher like the collegiate players she saw on television. She has struck out four batters and won one game last year for the Pioneers.
“ I have worked on it a lot in the past years with both of my pitching coaches,” she said.“ It’ s just rewarding because it’ s a completely different pitch from the other pitches I throw. My second favorite is my rise-ball, because I can get batters chasing.”
Gibson said she enjoys being a pitcher because she can help her teammates.
“ If I know they’ re having a bad game, then I can just calm them down because you’ re in control of the game,” she said.“ It means a lot being a pitcher, because you’ re the outcome of every pitch in every game.”
Providence junior Presley Hegedus has toed the rubber ever since she was 10. The love of pitching was shared between Hegedus and her sister, Emory. Their father, Jeff, helped them get started.
“ We would pitch all of the time with my dad,” Hegedus said.“ Then I started to go to lessons and I loved it. Pitching is like being the team leader.”
Last season, Hegedus went 4-3 with one save and a 2.87 ERA for the sectional-champion Pioneers. Over 53 2 / 3 innings, the right-hander allowed 48 runs( 22 earned) on 67 hits while walking only 13 and striking out 72.
In her pitching cache, Hegedus uses a riseball, changeup and curveball. Her curveball is her favorite because, she said, it’ s smooth and easy to throw in the circle. To perfect her pitches, Hegedus goes to lessons twice a week.
“ I also pitch four times a week and I watch a lot of college softball and I have learned from them.” she said.
Meanwhile Hegedus’ teammate, sophomore Sydney Laslie, has been a pitcher since she was eight. She, like the others, was sparked by seeing college pitchers on TV and saying:“ I want to do that.”
Last season, Laslie went 5-9 with one save and a 2.99 ERA for the Pioneers. Over 79 2 / 3 innings, the right-hander allowed 67 runs( 34 earned) on 61 hits while walking 38 and fanning 152.
“ Pitching to me is a lot of mental work, because you have to mentally-prepare for a game and get in the right mindset to throw the right pitches,” Laslie said.“ To me, it’ s all about staying focused, because when I lose focus I get wild.”
Focus is important for both high-school aged and collegiate pitchers in pressure-packed situations during games. Most of the pitchers said a positive mindset is key in helping them through such situations.
“ You have to have trust in yourself and your defense,” Foley said.“ You’ re the leader out on the mound. It’ s your team when you’ re on the mound, so you have to have confidence to help your team throughout the game. It’ s a lot of pressure on you, but it’ s not always on you. You have to rely on your defense to make plays and you have to rely on your hitters, that they’ re going to hit the ball and score runs to back you up.”
PAGE NO. 10 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE MAY / JUNE 2025