April 11, 2007
Calvert graduate Elliott shines at Arizona State
Friday, April 6, 2007
By Dallas Cogle
Staff Writer
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Elliott is boasting numbers on the mound reminiscent of her career with the Calvert Cavaliers when she turned the state record book into her own autobiography. She owns every major career pitching standard and half of the season all-time marks. She also claimed state titles her final two years at Calvert.
Midway through her first campaign on the NCAA Division I stage, the 2006 Calvert graduate is boasting a 16-2 mark with a 2.06 earned run average and four shutouts through 122 1⁄3 innings for her Sun Devils.
She is almost fanning one batter per inning with a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio of 117 and 54, respectively, and opponents are hitting just .221 against her.
All this while Elliott is still mastering her pitches at the college level and facing a daunting schedule in the Pac-10.
``I can tell you that she's one heck of a player," said Arizona State head coach Clint Myers, who raved about Elliott. ``We're so happy she chose Arizona State. She was the class of the entire class of all the pitchers out there [going into this year as college freshmen]. She was head and shoulders above everyone else. There are not many freshmen that pitch in the Pac-10. She's definitely right up there as one of the best freshmen [in the country]. She's done a terrific job for us."
``It's been going really well," said Elliott, who was also recruited by the likes of Oregon, Cal-Berkeley and Michigan before deciding on Arizona State. ``It's everything that I expected and ever dreamed of, and I'm not going to let my guard down. I'm happy I chose here to play, but it's too early [to get hyped about my success]. I have half of a season left, and this is like the beginning for me. I want to make it worth all my time and effort I've put into the sport."
Things are going so well for Elliott that she is among four players gracing the cover of the Amateur Softball Association's 2007 season preview magazine. Elliott is displayed pitching for her Shamrocks travel team out of Northern Virginia.
ASA is the national governing body of softball.
``We're awful proud of her," Calvert head coach Frank Moore said, ``to go from Southern Maryland to out there and playing for one of the top 10 teams in the United States. It shows we had a special one last year. I knew she'd be successful, but I thought it would take her a little bit longer than it has."
Elliott is coming off her most impressive start for Arizona State (36-8, 2-1 Pac-10), which is ranked No. 7 by USA Today⁄National Fastpitch Coaches Association and No. 9 by ESPN.com⁄USA Softball, after throwing four scoreless innings Sunday vs. fellow Pac-10 power Washington, which is ranked 12 and 17, respectively.
She stymied Washington (23-9, 1-2) to just one hit with Arizona State beginning the difficult Pac-10 portion of its schedule.
The Pac-10 has seven teams ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today⁄NFCA poll, three among the top 10.
Elliott was relieved by team ace Katie Burkhart early in the fifth after walking Washington's leadoff batter. The junior southpaw Burkhart -- 18-6 with a 0.94 earned run average as one of the country's top pitchers -- predominantly faced a bevy of left-handed bats in the fifth and the move proved to be effective. But Arizona State lost the game in the bottom of the seventh when a Burkhart pitch got by her catcher and allowed Washington to plate the contest's only run from third.
``This past week, Megan's been sick and I think that actually helped her in not getting too excited [to face Washington]," Myers said. ``She just went out there and did a phenomenal job. If we could've scored some runs, she would've probably gotten the win."
``To play in one of the best conferences in the United States says a lot for her," Moore added.
Easily overlooked in the freshman's skills -- which are highlighted by a five-pitch repertoire and a 65-to-68-mph riseball that she said was clocked at 63 to 65 at the end of her Calvert career -- is her work ethic. Those attributes have never gone unnoticed by Elliott's coaches.
``Ever since she was in ninth grade, I could see that she has that thing that she's not going to get beat -- that competitiveness in her that you're not going to beat her," Moore said. ``To me, that was her best quality. Her work ethic and determination has helped her, because if she gets knocked down, she gets back up."
``She's such a workhorse. She has to have it right," Myers said. ``Her work ethic is outstanding. Her competitive nature is outstanding. Her practice day is long. She does all the pitching stuff, then goes out and does all the outfield work and then she does hitting exercises. And she doesn't complain; she just goes about her business."
Only in practice has Elliott played the outfield.
Being a diligent understudy to the talented Burkhart is paying off for Elliott, she said.
``Megan, by far and away, has better numbers than Burkhart did her freshman year," Myers said. ``She's going to be in the same category as Katie Burkhart as soon as she gets the experience. If she truly wants [to be a star], she's the kind of girl that's not going to let anything stand in her way.
``I think we might have the best one-two pitching combo in the nation."
``She is one of the top-ranked pitchers in the country," Elliott said about Burkhart. ``Even if I don't get a lot of pitching time this year, I know my team will come."
Elliott calls her screwball her No. 1 pitch. Myers says she can effectively throw the curve and screwball anytime she wants to. He also noted that Elliott is ``working hard on her command" of the rise, changeup and drop pitches.
``She's got down four of those pitches," Myers said. ``The riseball is a tough pitch to master [because of the small margin of error]. But the biggest transition [to Arizona State] for Megan is not a physical one for her, but just trusting her ability and not to be too careful. Those are things all freshmen deal with at this stage.
``I really like her demeanor and competitiveness. You can't tell if someone has hit a home run off her or she just struck someone out. She carries herself even-tempered."
Elliott claims to have gotten better since arriving at Arizona State. That is after an unparalleled high school run and earning the prolific honor of making the USA Softball Junior Women's National team in September as one of the best 17 talents in the country.
Elliott and her USA team won the gold medal in the Puerto Rico-hosted Junior Women's Pan American Championships in November and thus qualifies as the top seed in the Pan American Region for the ISF Junior Women World Championships come June in Kutno, Poland.
``I think I've pick up speed and fundamentals," Elliott said about how she has improved since donning the Sun Devils uniform. ``I've learned where to throw pitches in certain locations. Speed has never really been a main issue for me. I'm more concerned about location."
Elliott's pitching exploits are not alone in her rise to acclaim at Arizona State.
Defensively, she has only committed two errors in 32 chances -- good enough for a solid .938 fielding percentage. Burkhart's fielding percentage is .895 in 19 chances.
With the bat in her hands, Elliott is also encountering fortune. She is sixth on the team with a .318 average with five homers and 14 RBIs in 44 at-bats. Her .705 slugging percentage is Arizona State's second-best in that department, only bettered by the team's leading hitter, Kaitlin Cochran, a college player of the year candidate.
``She's really, really worked hard on [handling] the inside ball," Myers said of Elliott. ``She stays inside the pitch and she can drive the ball. She may have the best power to right-center field on the team. She's strong, and learning to hit in the Pac-10 is as hard as pitching."
Myers added that Elliott is the only pitcher he's had in his two years at the helm of Arizona State who has hit for herself.
``This shows that all her hard work is paying off," Moore said. ``We talk with her about once a week, maybe twice. She talks to [her former Calvert teammates] three or four times a week. She hasn't changed; she's just far away from us.
``I'd venture to say there's not more than one or two players from the East Coach that's accomplished what she has."