Eastern pitcher Hallie Roberts is fearless and calculating in the circle. She rolls and rotates the ball against her leg to hide what she's throwing. In between pitches, Roberts walks around the circle to help with her pace and breathing. In between innings, she collects herself with a deep breath in the dugout.
Whatever Roberts is doing this season is working. The senior, who recently signed to continue her career with Lindsey Wilson , is among the commonwealth's top pitchers. Through Thursday, she was among the top 10 in the state with 219 strikeouts, fifth in wins (17) and 25th in ERA (1.57).
What is the secret to Roberts' success? She isn't a flamethrower, but her spins baffle opponents and result in a lot of swing-and-miss strikeouts.
"I started seeing my pitching coach, Aja (Sherman). She helped me a lot," Roberts said of the former Louisville star softball pitcher. "She made me realize speed for me isn't too important. It's just the way you move it. So, I practiced every single day, five or six times a week, constantly working in the gym (during) my freshman and sophomore year. Junior year everything started to pay off."
Sherman and Roberts started working together in October 2020. Sherman lauded Roberts' work ethic, critical-thinking skills and ability to adjust quickly in the circle.
"Many of her pitches also have the same grips with the same-looking spins," Sherman said of Roberts. "So the batters do not know if she is going in, out or up, which keeps batters on their toes. Lastly, pitch calling and knowing when to pitch certain pitches in certain counts to certain batters is huge, and her critical thinking really comes out in games as she analyzes batters, situations and counts to pitch the best pitch for the situation."
Instead of throwing the fastest pitches she can, Roberts tries to fool batters with her off-speed pitches, particularly her change-up, screwball, rise ball and curveball.
This season, Roberts has struck out at least 10 batters in 11 games, including a season-high 17 in a 9-4 win over Franklin County on April 13. On April 22, Roberts fanned 15 Male batters in a 2-1 loss, including Bulldogs junior Riley Newman.
Newman, among the state's top home run hitters, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts against the Eagles.
Roberts has "a lot of movement," Newman said. "I really have to work on chasing my pitch; you really have to (wait) for (a) pitcher's mistakes in that situation."
Mercy junior Ava Reinhart, who has faced Roberts throughout their high school careers, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in a 7-1 loss March 27.
Roberts' "spins have completely evolved," Reinhart said. "She knows how to work the corners and knows how to get people to swing and miss. She knows that when she puts it off the plate, people are going to swing."
Besides perfecting her spins, Roberts has improved because her confidence has continued to grow, Eagles coach Craig Kuhn said.
"I just think it was her dedication to getting better," Kuhn said about Roberts' growth since her freshman season. "From her freshman year, you knew it was talent there. She had to build up the confidence."
Roberts, who started playing the sport when she was 9 years old but didn't get serious about it until high school, agreed with her coach.
"I was always a groundout pitcher, came in for relief. Stepping on the mound now, I'm not nervous anymore, I know what to do to get the job done. Even somedays when I'm not doing my best, I know my teammates got me on offense and defense."
Through Thursday, Eastern (21-6) was among the Seventh Region's top teams along with Male, Ballard and Assumption. The Eagles defeated the reigning back-to-back state champion Bruins, 7-6, on April 24. The April win was Eastern's first over the Bruins since 2013, and it also avenged the Eagles' Seventh Region title-game loss from last year.
Roberts said Eastern "can't wait" for the postseason. With its 2-0 record in district play, the Eagles likely will get a bye until the district title game.
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Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Eastern softball senior Hallie Roberts among Kentucky's best at striking out batters
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