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Anastos, Tigers keep slugging away
3/21/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
Hays Daily News
Sophomore catcher Jessika Anastos' outstanding, All-American-worthy season for the Fort Hays State University softball team starts with the same pre-pitch approach.
Before every pitch, she steps out of the batter's box, looks down to third base at Tiger head coach Tonja Hadley for the signs and takes two practice swings.
Then, she taps her helmet with her right hand, turns toward the batter's box, shrugs her shoulders and holds her bat vertical to line up her hands. She licks her right batting glove, taps her helmet and digs her back foot in the batter's box. Anastos puts up her right hand to call for time and steps in.
"I do that every time," she said. "No matter what it is, same thing, got to stay the same. ... I am just going up there attacking, being ready for any pitch."
The routine hasn't changed. On Thursday, neither did the result.
Anastos continued the greatest softball season in Fort Hays history with a 4-for-4, two walk performance in two wins, 4-1 and 5-3, against West Texas A&M at Tiger Stadium. In the first game, Anastos delivered a three-run homer and tied the school record for single season homers (11).
"I just think she is a great hitter," West Texas head coach Kevin Blaskowski said. "She does a great job of hitting the whole zone, hitting the pitch that is thrown to her. You almost have to walk her because anything you throw in the zone, she can hit."
Overall, Anastos went 8-for-11 with two walks, two homers, four runs scored and five RBI in the four-game sweep against the Buffs. The performance helped Fort Hays improve to 19-13.
Overall, Anastos' season line in unparalleled in the country. A 5-foot-7 sophomore from Broomfield, Colo., who earned second team all-MIAA honors as the designated player last season, Anastos is batting .551 with 11 homers, 34 RBI and 31 runs in 30 games.
"She is able to hold her hands and she has such a good eye and she has such good pitch recognition, she can release her hands to the ball," Blaskowski said. "A lot of kids will predetermine their swings to catch up to the pitch and she doesn't have to do that."
Anastos is slugging 1.045 with 17 multi-hit games and extended her hitting streak to eight games entering today's home doubleheader against Cameron University at 1 p.m.
Tiger coach Tonja Hadley, a veteran of 15 years in coaching, said Wednesday this is the best stretch of hitting she has seen.
"She just has exceptionally fast hands and when you have fast hands, you can overcome a lot of flaws within a swing," Hadley said. "Because she has fast hands, she has just an enormous confidence level in herself, because she is able to make things happen even when she is a little late or behind on a pitcher. ... Those two things combined are a very difficult combination to beat. She is just a special kid."
In Game 1 on Thursday, Anastos delivered the winning hit in the second inning. With one out, junior Hallie McMillen singled to left. After a strikeout, junior Terra Fraser singled and Anastos homered to left field.
The blast gave Fort Hays a 3-1 lead and provided all the support needed for freshman Kayla Rupa. The left-hander tossed a complete game and improved to 6-5.
"I have just tried to get my hands to the ball," Anastos said while holding the home run ball after the game. "I am just going up and relaxing and not trying to do too much, just trying to be consistent. I haven't really made any adjustments."
Anastos has been consistent all year. She started her incredible run in the early season Colorado State-Pueblo Tournament on Feb. 9-10. In five games, she batted .778 (14-for-18) with 11 runs scored, seven RBI and three homers.
Helped by the same approach, Anastos has kept her average higher than .473 since the season's second game. Her four-game performance against West Texas bumped her average to .551, the highest since Feb. 14.
In the second contest, she grounded a first inning RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 Tiger lead. Fort Hays tacked on three more runs in the third inning on a two-run line drive single by Fraser.
Anastos followed with a hit into short right field and eventually scored on senior Emily Herl's single. Senior Emily Rockefeller earned the win with four innings of relief.
"She is in the upper echelon," Blaskowski said of Anastos. "Outside of our conference, she is definitely the best hitter we have seen. She is a tough out and she has a great approach to hitting."
It's an approach that starts the same, exact way every time.
"Nothing has changed," Anastos said with a smile.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
