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What was Mary Connolly’s first thought when she had her most memorable moment of the season? That she screwed up.
March 1 marked the first day of tournament play in Las Vegas for the Blue Demons. After a modest start to the year, sophomore slugger Mary Connolly stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the first. New Mexico State pitcher Karysta Donisthorpe put one in the zone, Connolly swung, and … she assumed she popped out.
“I was like, great, [Coach] is going to yell at me,” said Connolly.
The ball kept carrying out to right field, and eventually it cleared the fence for a grand slam and a 4-0 DePaul lead. The Demons went on to win the game 6-1, take four of five in Las Vegas, and go 15-7 since Connolly’s blast.
“Mary’s someone who can change the game in one swing,” said Eugene Lenti, head coach. “When you have those types of players, and they’re having that type of year, you’re just happy they’re on your team.”
Connolly has 10 home runs this year with 32 RBIs, 72 total bases and a .655 slugging percentage. Each mark leads the team. She’s been playing her best as of late, getting named as Big East Player of the Week, April 8. She went 9-for-14 with two home runs, a triple, a double, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored in the five games prior to the announcement.
The righty Connolly, typically the team’s designated player (she only hits without playing the field), has blossomed in 2013. Through only 37 games, she has surpassed her home run (5) and RBI (31) totals from last season. Lenti said that this is partially due to Connolly’s work in the weight room and improved conditioning, while Connolly attributes her surge to assistant coach, Samantha Findlay. Findlay helps her recognize the pitches she will see, and has helped her swing.
In baseball and softball, usually big power numbers indicate a dip in walks and more strikeouts. Not in this case. She has actually improved her on-base percentage by .044 points from last year, and she has an 11:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio (last year she has 26 strikeouts and 12 walks).
“I’m definitely seeing the ball a lot better this year,” said Connolly. “I’m not as anxious at the plate. I’d rather be up there with two strikes than be up there in a 0-0 count.”
An easy demeanor has helped, too. Infielder Brittany Boesel is Connolly’s roommate, and when the team played in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., Connolly stayed over at Boesel’s nearby home. She knows Connolly very well.
“She’s focused, but she’s also loud and loose,” said Boesel. “In softball you have to be loose, you can’t be so tense. That’s what she has mastered. She’s so calm up there, she’s not nervous when she goes up [to bat].”
That extends to big game situations. Connolly said she never looks to hit a home run. She just wants to make contact and score the runner any way she can. Though the players and coaches never want to expect Connolly to always come through – which would add unneeded pressure to her – Boesel said, “When she comes up, we’re definitely confident.”
She’s not a stat-generating robot, though: There are games where Connolly might not get a hit, might not drive in a run or might not score herself. During the Feb. 10 game against Texas Tech, in the fifth game of the season, Connolly went 2-for-4 with two singles, but did not account for any runs in the game.
Boesel turned out to be the star that day, the clutch performer. Trailing 1-0 in the top of the fifth, with one runner on and one out, Boesel drove a screwball over the fence in right field, giving DePaul a lead they wouldn’t give up. It was Boesel’s only home run of the season, and one of her only two hits in limited playing time.
Which teammate was there to cheer her on the most? Connolly.
“It was good,” said Boesel. “She came up to me and gave me a big hug.”
Connolly is seemingly uncomfortable talking about her own accomplishments, and is more than happy to give praise back to her teammates.
“When other people have success,” said Boesel, “she gives them support, too.”