Syracuse sophomore pitcher Jenna Caira did not take a single at-bat during her freshman year.

So when she stepped up to the plate earlier this season against Cornell, expectations were not high. After all, she was hitting .217 (10-46) going into the game and her main job was to pitch.

But after she hit three home runs in the doubleheader against the Big Red, Cornell coach Dick Blood was not surprised.

‘She was our top recruit for two years,’ Blood said. ‘When we were recruiting her she was not only a force on the mound but a force at the plate.’

The pitcher can hit.

Caira’s three home runs against Cornell are the highlight of what has been a banner season for her at the plate. The sophomore is tied for the SU lead with four home runs on the season and is now one of the key contributors to the Syracuse offense.

The Orange (25-20, 9-7 Big East) travels to Penn State (28-16, 7-7 Big Ten) for a nonconference doubleheader Tuesday.

The progress that Caira has made at the plate is a main reason why the Orange is fourth in the Big East standings. And it all started in the offseason.

‘Coming in and being a pitcher and getting used to the college game is tough,’ SU head coach Leigh Ross said. ‘She threw a lot more last year and didn’t have the time to put the (swings) in. This year we were like, ‘We’re going to make time.”

With only 20 hours a week allotted for the team to practice and play per NCAA rules, a lot of the work that Caira does to improve her hitting is on her own. In games that she doesn’t pitch, Caira is in the batting cage hitting off of a tee, always tweaking her swing.

The extra effort is reflected in Caira’s stats — .321 (9-28) in her last 10 games.

‘Once she kind of got in there and kept swinging, Coach King and I were like, ‘She’s just so powerful,” Ross said. 

Caira’s strength — which produces her 67 mph fastball — carries over to the plate. Her quick hands fly through the zone. When she makes solid contact, the ball flies off her bat.

Her strength was most apparent against Cornell. The Big Red tried to pound the outside corner against her, but the sophomore hit it anyway. When Cornell pitchers Elizabeth Dalrymple and Lauren Marx missed their spots, Caira took full advantage.

‘She was able to pull one of her home runs practically with one hand,’ Blood said. ‘Three mistake pitches, and she made us pay for them.’

A pitcher doubling as a key hitter has become more common in college softball over the past few seasons. Danielle Lawrie, the pitcher for Washington, the defending national champion, is a fixture in the middle of the Huskies’ lineup. Syracuse freshman pitcher Stacy Kuwik also hits, batting .240 in 50 at-bats.

Having Caira hit involves her in all aspects of the game. It helps her stay in rhythm rather than having her sit in the dugout, out of the action, while Syracuse is at the plate. 

It is also a chance for Caira to help out her own cause. If she can get a hit that provides the Orange with another run, it’s an insurance run for her on the mound.

‘(Being) given the opportunities a couple times to help yourself out (is) huge for a pitcher,’ Ross said. ‘You can’t walk away from the field saying, ‘I wish my team hit.”

Caira continues to help out her cause on the mound with her hitting at the plate. On Sunday, she went 2-3, driving in two runs in a 5-1 win against Connecticut. Her RBI single in the bottom of the fourth helped open up what was a 2-0 game.

‘Well, it hurt a little bit, she jammed me,’ Caira laughed. ‘It felt good, though. Helping out the team offensively is a really good feeling.’ 

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on April 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr