Kirby’s love for softball shines
Jeff Mankie/For the News & Messenger
Melissa Kirby pitches from the circle on Thursday
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By Dave Utnik
Published: April 17, 2008
That’s usually the case whenever high school season rolls around, but this spring she is espe-cially giddy.
For one thing Kirby’s a senior who just celebrated her 18th birthday and she wants to accom-plish something significant over the final six weeks of her career.
But the biggest reason for the smile that rarely seems to leave Kirby’s face is that she’s back do-ing what she enjoys most — pitching. Having finally recovered from wrist surgery 15 months ago, Stonewall Jackson’s ace couldn’t wait to get back to the rivalries and bases-loaded suspense that are part of playing in the Cedar Run District.
Leaving the outfield behind wasn’t such a bad thing, either.
“I was ready to get back out there,” Kirby said. “Outfield is not for me.
“I love having to prove something and carrying on a tradition, I guess,” she said. “I’ve always liked the pressure of pitching in big games. I think I do well under pressure. It gives me motivation to know I have control of the game.”
Control is sort of Kirby’s specialty. She throws four pitches — fastball, rise, drop and changeup — and she can put them just about anywhere she pleases.
Against Battlefield last Friday, that meant a lot of fastballs on the inside corner and a 1-0 upset victory.
“With a pitcher like Melissa, who can bring it a little bit with velocity, you can get away with busting them inside. More teams ought to be doing that,” Raiders coach Jason Koch said.
Kirby can also bring it on the outside corner, which is why she went 19-6 with a 0.77 ERA as a sophomore and why Stonewall is off to a 7-2 start this spring.
“My dad always taught me to hit my spots,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about. I don’t have any big movement pitches. You just have to hit your spots.”
Kirby relied on that same philosophy as a 10-year-old member of the Manassas Blaze — a travel team her father, Bobby, coached — and it helped her get out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the sixth inning against the power Bobcats.
“We have so much confidence in Melissa,” Koch said. “Obviously she’s earned a reputation. She helped take a team her sophomore season to regionals. [Opposing teams] were probably a little more confident last year when they played Stonewall. Now, they are a little less confident and are a little more timid at the plate.”
The Raiders are a vastly improved team, but they are a contender in perhaps the state’s most competitive Group AAA district because they have more experienced hitters — Kasey Miller drove in the winning run against Battlefield and Brittney Orsborn scored the go-ahead run against Os-bourn on Tuesday – but Kirby’s return to the circle also allowed Susie Finzel to move back to short-stop and Krystal Smith to shift back to second base.
“Everyone’s improving and it’s all turning out real good,” said Kirby, who struck out 10 in a 3-1 win over the rival Eagles.
“I think everyone has a part in this. I definitely didn’t get the winning hit [against Battlefield] so it’s everybody doing their job.”
Last spring, Kirby didn’t feel like much of a contributor. She spent the majority of the season playing in the outfield because her wrist wasn’t strong enough to throw underhand or swing a bat effectively.
But now the injury — a result of a touch football game that went awry four years ago — is no longer a concern and it’s feeling a bit like 2006 when Kirby led the Raiders to the Cedar Run District Tournament championship.
“She’s pretty much doing the same thing. I worry about her wrist a lot more but she’s pretty much done what I’ve expected,” Koch said. “You can tell she has the confidence to throw any pitch in any count.”
The confidence is back and so is her love of the game.
Before she says goodbye to a sport she’s played for 12 years, Kirby might even try calling a pitch or two.
“I’ve never, ever shaken off a sign,” she said. “I think I’m going to have to learn to though.”
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