There will be no sophomore slump for Sara Jane Webster.
"No thanks," Dickinson State's All-American softball pitcher says with a laugh while talking about players who fail to live up to high expectations they set for themselves in their first season.
Webster finished her freshman campaign 25-5 with a 1.40 earned-run average and a school-record 249 strikeouts.
The Los Angeles native is off to just as good of a start this season.
Through 10 appearances, Webster is 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA and 112 strikeouts.
ADVERTISEMENT
Her losses came at the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational against No. 1-ranked California Baptist and sixth-ranked Lubbock (Texas) Christian, a game in which she pitched less than 24 hours after making a trip to the emergency room because of flu-like symptoms caused by heat exhaustion.
She's coming off a no-hitter against Mayville State last Saturday and tossed the first perfect game in DSU history against Hastings College on March 17 in Tucson.
"She's met the standard she set up last year," DSU coach Guy Fridley said. "But I think she's certainly on a roll right now where can she can exceed those standards and get better as time goes on."
Unfortunately for fans who want to watch Webster and the Blue Hawks, who are 17-3 and ranked fifth in the latest NAIA poll, weather issues are forcing the team to move games scheduled to be played in Dickinson out of town.
After traveling to Glendive, Mont., to play "home" doubleheaders against Mayville State last weekend, DSU heads to Madison, S.D., Friday and Saturday to play against Dakota State. Webster is slated to start Game 1 of both doubleheaders.
"She sets the tone for us in the circle, just with the intensity she brings," Fridley said.
Webster calls the pitcher's circle "my own world."
While throwing her perfect game, Webster said she didn't realize she was close to the accomplishment until the seventh inning.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I just zone out," Webster said. "I don't like when people tell me what I'm doing. I just hate knowing."
Webster believes the help she's getting behind the plate from freshman catcher Erika Arvizo is a main contributor to her success so far this season.
"For a freshman, she really knows what to do," Webster said. "I really trust her with everything she does. She's like my backbone back there."
But, Webster isn't just getting it done from inside the circle. She's batting .383 with 14 RBI and a home run while filling the No. 7 spot in DSU's lineup. When she's not pitching, she plays left field.
"She's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Fridley said. "She can not only get the job done in the circle, but she can get the job done at the plate too."
Still, Webster's performance will no doubt be measured by what she does with a softball in her hand, not a bat.
"(Webster) is a special player," Fridley said. "We're just fortunate to have that type of kid in our program."
