She is generally tight-lipped during interviews and doesn’t say many words, but Casie Hutchinson’s play on the diamond does all the talking.
Hutchinson, a freshman third baseman, has already become a major contributor for the Bobcats, consistently making plays defensively and bringing in runs at the plate.
“At first she was really quiet; then she opened up and started talking on the field,” sophomore shortstop Amanda Dalton said. “If she makes a mistake, then she fixes the next one and she’s always right back at it. She’s been really solid.”
Batting third in the lineup, the Lebanon native has become a prime example of hard work in the offseason paying off.
“She’s a kid who worked tremendously hard during the fall,” assistant coach Taylor Schlopy said. “We changed her swing up a little bit and she went home over Christmas break and really devoted herself to learning the new technique, molding it with her old swing until it got in a position she was comfortable with.”
Hutchinson has started all of the Bobcats’ 44 games, while hitting .296 with 19 RBIs and a .378 average in Mid-American Conference play.
“Offensively, she’s just been so steady and consistent,” coach Jodi Hermanek said. “She’s always working at something for the better of the team as a whole and she’s just a selfless teammate. I couldn’t be more proud of who’s accomplished a lot.”
Hutchinson’s improvement in play took off a couple weeks ago when she smacked a grand slam for her first career home run against Toledo. She hit a walk-off single two days later to finish a four-game sweep of Toledo and Bowling Green.
When Hutchinson was asked about the clutch hits, she smiled but never gave anything away, and just played off the wins on her teammates.
Overall, her quiet demeanor has forced the media and, at first, her teammates to read between the lines. Dalton said Hutchinson is a quiet leader who has become more vocal as the season has progressed.
“She comes in for extra practice all the time and is calm, cool and collected in the box, which is what I think makes her so successful,” Schlopy said. “She doesn’t always show emotion but you can tell she wants it. Casie is just even keeled with what is going on.”
In every game, Hutchinson is hunched over at third locked in on the batter before every pitch, but supportive of whomever is pitching on the mound in between pitches.
“I love her and couldn’t be more proud of her,” Hermanek said. “She’s grown and developed so strongly over at third base, making some huge plays this part of the season that she might not have made earlier in the year.
“Now she’s got more experience and she’s got more faith in herself. She’s done such an awesome job of just fitting the mold over there, anchoring down that corner for us.”
Hutchinson said this season has been an adjustment, with college softball being so much faster than high school, but she’s starting to get comfortable while maintaining confidence.
“There’s always things I wish I could do better or errors I didn’t make, but I’m happy now,” she said. “Hopefully I can do more throughout the rest of the season.”
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohiou.edu
