Infielder Juli Strange singled and then stole second base in the sixth inning against Buffalo on March 18 during the Maryland Invitational. In the redshirt senior’s first game in the leadoff spot this season, she came around to score on infielder Anna Kufta’s double in the 6-3 victory.
After 10 games of consistent production, Strange seems like an ideal fit to start the offense. She leads Maryland softball in batting average (.326), on-base percentage (.441), walks (18) and runs scored (20).
That’s “really what a great leadoff does,” coach Julie Wright said. “They work walks, their on-base percentage is great and they get themselves on for the people behind them.”
Freshman outfielder Kassidy Cross, who usually bats in the bottom third of the order, hit first at Northern High School in Owings, and she sees similarities between the way she approached the role and the way Strange does.
“It sets the tone,” Cross said. “She draws walks and then she smashes doubles off the fence. And I think that’s really productive, not only to get your leadoff batter on base first, but for everyone to know what the pitcher has thrown and knowing what we can hit.”
[Read more: Maryland softball went 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position against Michigan State]
Strange works deep into counts, allowing her teammates to know what to expect during their first at-bat. Cross picks up on where and how much the ball moves when the pitcher throws off-speed pitches.
Michigan State’s pitchers threw the most changeups Maryland has seen from any team this year, Strange said. The Valencia, California, native struggled adjusting to the changing speeds in the series opener. She took more strikes than usual and chased pitches with two strikes, which led to three strikeouts.
But in the next two games, Strange worked five walks. Eleven of her team-high 18 base on balls have been from the leadoff spot.
“I was really pleased with how she bounced back,” Wright said. “[She] started taking pitches that she was striking out on, taking those pitches for balls, and really getting herself on.”
Strange was more aggressive early in the count in the latter two contests. Instead of looking for walks, she wanted to prompt the pitcher into making a mistake.
It’s the same approach Strange has implemented all season, even when she moved around the order during the team’s first 23 games. So when Wright moved to the leadoff spot against Buffalo, the second-year coach told her, “your role doesn’t change. It’s just a different spot in the lineup.”
“In all of my walks this weekend, I think with the exception of one, I fouled off a few pitches to get there,” Strange said. “I’m trying to put the ball in play, and put it in play hard. … If they throw me four balls before that happens then that’s just the way it rolls.”
Strange keeps the lineup rolling, leading the team in on-base percentage. She also leads the team in runs scored despite hitting one home run.
But for that, she has her teammates to thank.
“All my other runs are because other people are doing their jobs,” Strange said.
