The Maryland softball team trailed, 3-0, in the fourth inning Saturday against Northwestern with infielder Anna Kufta at the plate. The freshman entered the at-bat hoping to shorten her swing and put the ball in play.
She sent a two-strike offering toward the left center field gap, put her head down and charged to first base. But when she looked up while rounding the bag, she saw the ball leave the yard and slowed to a trot.
It was her team-high fourth long ball of the year, but her first time rounding the bases since Feb. 17.
“That at-bat wasn’t to hit a home run, but it was just to do my job,” Kufta said. “I got lucky, I guess.”
Kufta leads Maryland in batting average (.318) and slugging percentage (.536). She recorded six hits in three games against Northwestern, and Saturday’s home run highlighted a bounce-back series after struggling the weekend before at Michigan State.
Against the Spartans, Kufta managed only one hit. Coach Julie Wright said after the sweep some batters were trying to do too much at the plate, resulting in 28 runners left on base.
So before playing Northwestern, Kufta focused on hitting line drives between the left and right field gaps. The Huntington Beach, California, native made a point of “not doing too much with what I have.”
Kufta opened the series with a four-single performance in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. She followed that effort with a homer in game two and a single on Sunday.
“She just had a good swag about her and looked very focused in her at-bats, and I just thought she picked really good pitches to swing at,” Wright said. “And not to mention, too, she worked her at-bats. If she fell behind she fouled off a ton of pitches, so she was able to see a lot of pitches from each of the starters from Northwestern.”
While Kufta leads the Terps in home runs, power isn’t her only strength. Wright said she can drive in runs in multiple ways from anywhere in the lineup.
“A hitter who can handle the bat, who has some pop, who can bunt if you need her to, that’s really great to have in the four, the three,” Wright said, “but also it’s exceptional to have up and down the lineup. It’s kind of a coach’s dream.”
In the first game Saturday, Kufta knocked in infielder Juli Strange for the first run of the game with a hard liner. In her next at-bat, she reached on an infield single to shortstop. Then, she flashed her versatility at the plate with the blast in the second contest.
Pitcher Madison Martin said the different threats Kufta poses disrupt the rhythm of opposing hurlers and defenses. With so much to account for, teams are wary of how they approach the freshman.
“It’s hard for the defense to kind of figure out how you’re supposed to play when someone can hit a home run one at-bat, and the next at-bat maybe drop a bunt or get an infield single,” Martin said. “It really keeps the defense on their toes and gives us a better shot [and] gives her a better shot at getting on base.”
