THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
'Ott'standing
Maine West Hurler Does It All For Warriors
By DWIGHT ESAU
Journal Sports
When softball players are described as "doing it all," it usually means they are very talented and skilled.
When Emily Ott of Maine West is described that way, however, it literally means that she performs virtually ALL aspects of the game of softball with consummate skill.
Like a long ball hitter to beef up your offense? Emily's your choice. Need someone to get on base a lot and score a lot of runs? Call Emily.
Need a pitcher who doesn't walk very many and has a classy earned run average? Emily's your girl.
Would you like to have a dominating pitcher who's also very good as a designated hitter? Check with Emily.
She hasn't played the infield or outfield very much this season, but chances are she would excel as a fielder also.
Ott is the latest in a long line of West pitchers who have led the Warrior softball program to an elite position in the northwest suburban area.
But, in terms of her diverse talents, she could arguably surpass past Warrior hurlers like Kara Kunzeman, Kristen Proffitt, and Robin Petersen, in terms of her overall value to her team.
She excels impressively at virtually all phases of softball, and is one of the main reasons why West is 21-4 this spring, has won the Central Suburban-North conference championship for the fourth year in the last five, and is favored to go deep into the IHSA's post-season state tournament.
On the mound, she has had one of the most dominating seasons in recent years in the Journal area. She is 15-2 as a pitcher, and has been a model of consistency. A typical game for her when she's pitching, is less than 5 hits allowed, 2 or less walks allowed, 10-15 strikeouts, 2 or 3 base hits of her own, a like number of RBIs, and a ton of senior leadership on the bench (this last according to her coach, Mike Murin).
Asked about what she likes about pitching, she said, "I like being in control, in charge of the game. That's not because my personality is that way, it's just the way I play the game. I respond well to pressure situations, and to times when I'm called on to take charge."
A lot of her softball interest comes from older sister Hailey, a 2007 Warrior graduate who is now at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Hailey was a standout catcher for the Warriors the last two seasons, and the "Ott to Ott" pitching and caching combination was the talk of the area last spring.
"We're a baseball and softball family," Emily said. "Hailey loved catching and hitting, and my dad (Russell) was a baseball player. He was playing catch with us and teaching us about the game as long as I can remember.
"I was taught very early that to excel at something, you have to work at it. I have found that to be true, so I take the time to learn and practice."
Like her sister and many other Warrior players, she is a product of Des Plaines Girls Softball, one of the best youth softball feeder programs in the northwest suburbs. She learned how to pitch starting at age 6 or 7 when she started playing.
"I had so many good pitching coaches who noticed my enthusiasm for pitching and taught me a lot," Emily said. "I particularly benefited a lot from the coaching of Kristen Proffitt (former Des Plaines Girls Softball, area traveling team, and Maine West all-area pitcher). I owe a lot to Kristen as well as my dad."
Emily played on the West JV team as a freshman, and is completing her second year on the varsity.
She also plays volleyball at West in the fall, but softball is her first love, and is the sport she will concentrate on in college.
Her favorite pitch? "My changeup," she said without hesitation. "I throw a lot of fastballs and a variety of pitches, but I use my changeup a lot to keep hitters off balance and guessing."
Does she like to pitch more than hit? "I just like both," she said. "I like the sport, and I've always tried to be as good as I can in all parts of it."
Murin is not only savoring this season with Ott, but is enjoying the fact that Emily, a junior, will return next spring to terrorize area hitters one more season. "I would like to play on a Division I college team some day," she said.
Her next goal? "A sectional championship," she said. "We've never won one at West." Murin recalled the closest the Warriors have come to that coveted achievement. "We lost to New Trier in the sectional championship game in 2003, one of my first years coaching," he said. "That has been driving us every since."
With Ott around, there's a good chance this could be the year West gets over that sectional challenge.