Bumper crop of leadoff hitters causing headaches
Andy Nussbaum knows what the mold of a classic leadoff hitter is.
Fleet-footed. Pesky. Makes contact. Steals bases. Driving the ball and driving in runners is gravy.
Kelsey Gonzalez doesn't necessarily fit that mold. The Naperville Central sophomore fits Nussbaum's lineup, though.
"The bottom line," Nussbaum said, "is I want Kelsey up more than anybody on the team."
Gonzalez is just one of a group of leadoff hitters in DuPage County who are doing much more than setting the table this season. They are eating up opposing pitchers and cleaning up.
In Gonzalez's case that includes going 4-for-4 against Lockport on Tuesday with the game-winning single, what Nussbaum called the "best game by a hitter he's had in eight years."
Gonzalez is hitting a gaudy .538 and leads the team in runs scored, RBI, triples and walks. And she's struck out just one time in 32 plate appearances through nine games.
"She can hit anybody and adjusts very well," Nussbaum said. "In softball whether the mound is at 40 or 43 feet you want to put pressure on teams right away. Kelsey gives us the best chance to do that."
No player defines the do-all leadoff hitter in DuPage County better than Downers Grove South's Marissa Mersch. Like Nussbaum with Gonzalez, Mustangs coach Ron Havelka toyed with the idea of moving the Loyola recruit to the No. 3 hole after Brooke Andresen graduated. Instead she is penciled atop the order for the third straight year, batting .400 with a .464 on-base percentage, 12 runs scored and 5 steals.
"She gets on base. She's a good little competitor, too," Havelka said. "She's a slasher, she swings the bat hard and has a lot of speed. She kind of ignites things for us."
Lake Park boasts as imposing a top of the order as any team, with Carly Willert and Samantha Becker at Nos. 2 and 3. It all starts with Kelly Mieszala.
Moved up to the top spot last year after Lynsey Ciezki moved on to DePaul, Mieszala responded with a .484 on-base percentage. She's doing it even better through 10 games this season, hitting .545 with a downright ridiculous .630 on-base percentage.
"She is deceiving in that as a leadoff hitter you are thinking somebody that is going to be super quick, slapping and bunting," Lake Park coach Tom Mazzie said. "The reason I have her there is she's an impossible out."
Mieszala has the uncanny ability to wear down a pitcher and spoil good pitches, making every at bat a personal battle. An 0-2 count can quickly go full and, inevitably, end up with Mieszala standing on base.
"She has more 10-12 pitch at-bats than anybody I've ever coached," Mazzie said. "She's so good with the bat and her hands are so simple. Anytime you can get a pitcher to throw double-digit pitches in an at-bat, you're gonna get yours."
The mentioned three are just the tip of the iceberg in an area saturated with talented leadoff hitters.
The most prototypical speedy catalyst may be at Naperville North, where Sammy Marshall is hitting a filthy .616 with a .686 on-base percentage and 13 steals in 15 attempts.
"She gets on," Havelka said, "it's like a double."
Neuqua Valley's Amanda Mener is equally a three bounces to the left side of the infield and she's on first base speed demon. Glenbard West's Bri Wyatt is riding a 10-game hitting streak. Brianna Meath starts things for undefeated Glenbard South.
Talk about a bunch of headaches waiting to happen for opposing coaches.
The good news? Their leadoff hitter could be next up.
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