The RoundHouse | 10/11/2019 3:52:00 PM

 
Wichita State softball pitchers are required to take an ice bath on days they throw. They slip into a 90-gallon tub, temperature around 50 degrees, and wait for the shock to subside.
 
"I appreciate them, but they're not fun," junior pitcher Hailey Martinez said. "It's really all mental. You end up getting numb after a minute."
 
New pitching coach Morgan Lashley started the ice routine. For Martinez, the cold helps her body recover, one more piece of what is turning out to be a productive fall.

Martinez, from Bloomington, Minn., threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in Tuesday's 16-4 scrimmage win over Seminole (Okla.) State College. Coach Kristi Bredbenner called it one of her best performances as a Shocker. Martinez allowed three hits, struck out three and didn't walk a batter.
 
"She did a great job of keeping the ball down, hitting her spots," Bredbenner said. "She pitched to her strengths, instead of showing them some of her weaknesses. Her strength is to get a batter out in the first three pitches."
 
The Shockers play Kansas on Friday (6 p.m.) at Wilkins Stadium. Bredbenner said she will try to reschedule a scrimmage against Arkansas Tech, postponed earlier this fall.
 
When asked about Tuesday and fall practices, Martinez heads to the Wilkins Stadium bullpen to show off a visual aid. A string, sitting about knee-high, runs across the plates used for warmups and practices. Martinez needs to keep the ball away from a hitter's power zones and repetitions throwing under the string help.
 
"Seeing where the ball you want to go before you throw is really helpful," she said.
 
Martinez went 3-1 with a 3.21 earned run average in 43 2/3 innings as a sophomore. She isn't a strikeout pitcher – nine last season – so location and deception are key. On Tuesday, she excelled at working ahead of hitters.
 
"She had better movement, better control and looked more confident out there," Bredbenner said. "If we can get those kinds of innings out of her, that's crucial."
 
Bredbenner is pleased with all her pitchers this fall and with Lashley's instruction and emphasis on physical conditioning. In the spring, Bredbenner wants to use her six pitchers to disrupt batting orders. Coaches spent the fall looking at which pitchers might complement each other and give hitters the most issues with contrasting styles. 
 
"Morgan has helped us all a lot," Martinez said. "We're getting in better shape. We all have our own special skills and she realizes that. For me, since I don't throw hard, one of the things I really focus on is keeping the ball below the string and hitting my spots and making sure my spin is tight and my ball is moving."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.