Andy Kirk didn’t know what to expect from Kristyn Atkins and Anna Holley.
On one hand he had a pitcher who was coming off surgery to repair a torn labrum in her shoulder.
On the other hand the first-year Itawamba Community College softball coach had a high school standout who was recruited to be an infielder win the starting job as catcher.
In a sport that requires stability up the middle, Kirk hoped the former standouts at Heritage Academy and New Hope High School were up to the challenge.
Kirk is more than happy to report Atkins and Holley have exceeded his expectations. As a result, ICC hopes to add a few more accomplishments to what already has been a record-breaking season.
Atkins, a sophomore right-hander, likely will be in the circle pitching to Holley when ICC takes on Pearl River C.C. at 4 p.m. today in the MACJC State tournament in Fulton. The winners from today’s action will advance to play Friday. The winners of the first two games Friday will play for the state championship.
ICC (33-10, 22-2) has set single-season marks for most wins and most division wins in a season. The Lady Indians won North Division crown going away and qualified for the NJCAA Region 23 tournament for the second time in the past three seasons.
Atkins and Holley have played integral roles in that run.
Atkins, who started her prep career at New Hope High, transferred to Heritage Academy. She saw significant innings as a freshman at ICC before injuring her shoulder with less than a month to go in the season. Atkins had surgery last May and spent the summer and the fall rehabilitating her shoulder. She didn’t play softball in the fall and wasn’t able to return to action until the end of December.
“It was a big deal,” Atkins said of the injury. “It was the first time I had ever been hurt as long as I have been pitching. I definitely wondered how I was going to do (when she returned to action). It was very frustrating going to practice and sitting out and not being able to pitch.”
Atkins admitted to some nervous moments as she wondered if she was going to be able to re-claim her spot in the pitching rotation. Those concerns, though, vanished as soon as the season started. Atkins said she felt fine in her first outing of the season and has built on that confidence-building start since then. Entering today’s game, Atkins is 12-3 with a 0.795 ERA that is fifth in the nation and first in the state. She has 48 strikeouts in 88 innings.
“I think I am back to 100 percent and even better than I was last year,” Atkins said. “My velocity has gone up a little bit, and I have a tighter spin on the ball.”
Kirk said Atkins’ screwball has been her out pitch. He said he remained cautious with Atkins early in the season and has watched as her velocity has improved and she has settled into the role as the team’s No. 1 pitcher.
“I couldn’t ask more from her,” Kirk said. “She did a great job not only rebuilding her shoulder, but also her overall body. She got in overall shape and she is really strong now.”
Kirk said Atkins has been working to develop consistency in her changeup. He said the injury Atkins suffered prevented her from getting a lot of looks from four-year schools. He said Atkins’ success this season has attracted interest from plenty of schools, including Valparaiso, Delta State, William Carey, and Mississippi College. He feels Atkins has the ability to take her game to the next level because she will work through obstacles — just like her injury — to get better as a player.
“People who know Kristyn know she is going to keep working hard and that it is going to take a lot more than that to keep her off the field,” Kirk said. “With her work ethic, I knew she was going to be able to come back and contribute.”
Atkins hoped she would be in this position, but she admitted she wasn’t convinced she could play softball in college. She said she is proud of everything she has accomplished and overcome to move into a position to build on what she has learned at ICC.
“It’s a great feeling because I have always been really hard on myself,” Atkins said. “In high school, I didn’t think I could play in college. Now I am one of the starting pitchers for ICC, and now four-year schools are looking at me. I feel like I have come a long way.”
Holley has followed a similar path. In the fall, she was a left back on ICC’s women’s soccer team and missed the softball team’s fall season. The time with the soccer team benefited Holley, though, because it prepared her for the rigors of what she would face behind the plate.
Holley said the starting job as catcher came down to two players and that she felt she had a chance to earn the spot. Being that Holley wasn’t a full-time catcher at New Hope High — she spent the last part of her career as a middle infielder — she said she felt she had to work harder to earn her playing time.
Kirk noticed that hard work and eventually decided Holley would be the starter.
“Anna is a bulldog. There is no doubt,” Kirk said. “That versatility is what we look for in recruits. She has been a godsend for us. She has really improved. I think she is the best defensive catcher in the North Division. She works so hard.”
Holley also has contributed at the plate. As the team’s No. 2 hitter, she is hitting .321 and is second on the team in RBIs (24), fifth in runs (23), third in doubles (five), and third in hits (35).
Holley attributes her growth as a hitter to work in the weight room that has improved her strength. That conditioning also has helped her technique as a catcher. She credits Kirk and assistant coach Cary Simmons for helping her hone her technique and quickness.
“I have improved tons,” Holley said. “Coming here, I don’t know if I was even considered a catcher, but I have worked on mechanics and quickness behind the plate and have gotten a lot stronger and better. There is a lot to be said for mechanics of catching and quickness and movement. The coaches have taught me a lot of things that have helped me get better quicker.”
Next season, Holley anticipates getting a chance to start at goalkeeper for the soccer team. She joked that the softball coaches would like that because it would keep them from worrying about her turning ankles or injuring a knee.
That transition, though, will have to wait because Holley and the Lady Indians have work to do. She said she and her teammates are nervous and excited to get a chance to win a state title and to keep a record-breaking season going strong.
Individually, Holley wants to continue to set the example as someone who gives everything she has whenever she is on the field.
“I am proud of my season,” Holley said. “The past few weeks I wish I could have done more, but I am going to try to pick it up in the next few weeks. The season I have had as a freshman lets me know you can get that much better. That’s probably the biggest lesson: Anybody can get tons better no matter how good you are.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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