The RoundHouse | 4/13/2021 8:16:00 PM
Alan Myrtle and Jay Gerdes watched a lot of softball in recent seasons from their spots down the first-base line at Wilkins Stadium. They knew to pay attention in the first inning when right fielder
Addison Barnard came up to bat.
When she reached for a ball off the plate and muscled it over the right-field wall, they gasped a bit, smiled and shook their heads. Barnard didn't get her best contact on the ball and still smacked it out for her 17th
home run to break Wichita State's season record.
"She's a beast," Myrtle said.
"It looked like she was half swinging at it and it went over the fence," Gerdes said.
Barnard's record-setting home run helped Wichita State defeat Kansas City 4-3 on Tuesday at Wilkins Stadium in a day important for several landmarks. The Shockers moved into the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings for the first time at No. 25 on Tuesday. Coach
Kristi Bredbenner won game No. 600 in her 17th
season, 10 of those at Wichita State.
Bailee Nickerson also homered and
Ryleigh Buck broke the tie in the sixth inning with her solo shot to give Wichita State (29-5) its 10th
straight win.
Barnard, a freshman from Beatrice, Neb., broke the mark set in 2014 by Cacy Williams and the American Athletic Conference mark held by three others. Barnard hit a 3-2 pitch out to give the Shockers a 1-0 lead.
"I was really early, but I got my hands out there and just stayed through it," Barnard said.
Barnard hit four home runs in Wichita State's first three games. She hit No. 10 in game No. 24 to start another stretch of four in three games. She tied Williams' mark on Sunday vs. Houston before breaking it in her first opportunity on Tuesday.
"I'll probably think about it a little today," she said. "It's pretty cool. Then I'll move on."
Weather permitting, Barnard has 17 more regular-season games and post-season play to add to her record. Seven more moves her into Wichita State's career top 10.
And, if she wants to dream big - the NCAA record for a freshman is 30 home runs, a mark held by three women.
Pitchers are throwing Barnard more off-speed pitches and trying to stay away from her hands reduce the power from her vicious swing. She is learning how to adjust to those tactics and, while she has cooled off some, her batting average is .320 and she is on a six-game hitting streak.
"You're definitely not seeing as many inside pitches," coach
Kristi Bredbenner said. "Her biggest thing is that she's got to let the ball travel. When she lets the ball travel deeper into the zone, she's enabling herself to let the ball travel further out of the ballpark. She's just got to be patient up there, let the ball travel and trust her hands."
Teammates could tell last fall during practices that Barnard possessed special talent.
"She just looked phenomenal," Buck said. "When she swings the bat, the ball just goes. She has amazing pop."
The Shockers needed Buck's home run to escape the upset. She led off the sixth by hitting a 1-2 out to right-center field.
"We've got to be able to drive the ball (to the opposite field)," Bredbenner said. "I thought Ryleigh did a really nice job of having a plan, sticking with it, and driving the pitch she was looking for."
Kansas City (18-16) might be a better test than its record indicates. The Roos split with Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, defeated Houston and are 7-0 against Missouri Valley Conference teams. The Shockers play at No. 23 UCF this weekend in a crucial American Athletic Conference series.
"I felt like the pitching that we saw today was awesome," Buck said. "(Kansas City) does a really good job on the mound and I think that prepares us for the weekend, gets us in the right mindset."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
