Shirley Daniels let the first offering from Harvard’s Morgan Groom pass without a swing. She was sure it was a ball outside, but the umpire interrupted her rhythm by calling strike one.

Daniels looked back in disgust, players on the Syracuse bench shook their heads in disdain, and the Syracuse crowd let out a collective moan. But no one was as angry as Daniels’ older sister Lisaira, whose displeasure could be heard throughout the Carrier Dome.

“You have to be kidding me, Blue,” Lisaira yelled from about 10 rows behind home plate. “Are you blind? That wasn’t a strike.”

In two seasons playing together for the Orange (12-16, 1-2 Big East), Shirley and Lisaira never had a sibling rivalry. But now that Lisaira has graduated, Shirley’s game is reaching new heights. Once committed to protecting her on the field, Lisaira now watches from the stands as her younger sister flourishes for the Orange. Shirley, now a junior, leads the Big East with 18 steals this season and has smacked three home runs from the leadoff spot.

“I think she was hesitant to be great because of her sister,” assistant coach Wallace King said. “I don’t think she wanted to step on her toes, but now that Lisaira is gone she is getting the opportunity to really step out and get after it.”

Lisaira transferred from Georgia after her freshman season and took Syracuse by storm. She finished her collegiate career as the program’s all-time leader in batting average and steals. She ranks second in on-base percentage and triples and she’s tied for second in hits.

Yet King is confident that Shirley can be even better, and Lisaira agrees.

“Everything I know about softball I tell her because I want her to be better than me,” Lisaira said. “I may hold records but I want her to shatter them, and there’s no reason why she can’t.”

Despite her success on the basepaths — she hasn’t been caught stealing yet — her overall numbers currently lag behind the ones her sister posted, but that’s far from her mind.

Shirley and Lisaira were raised in a single-parent household. Their mother, Lisette, worked two jobs and gave her family everything she had, all of the time. Using religious and familial values, Lisette taught her children to be polite and supportive of one another.

The Daniels’ were always told that family comes first. Playing in the same program didn’t diminish that — it accentuated it.

“Their work ethics are remarkable, but seeing how much they cared about each other was awesome to watch,” junior outfielder Alexis Partyka said. “They are both great players, and the way that they worked off of each other made them even better.”

Lisaira’s departure from the program hasn’t stopped Shirley from looking up to her. She calls her older sister her idol, and strives to play like her each time she steps between the chalk lines.

In Shirley’s freshman season, the Orange faced Alabama, then ranked third in the country. Syracuse lost 9-0 and Alabama pitcher Kelsi Dunne struck out 13, and yielded just one hit in five innings.

Lisaira played center field and didn’t collect a hit. Shirley was in right field and had the same luck, but saw something in her older sister that she carries with her to the day.

“I remember that everyone seemed so down that game because we couldn’t get anything going,” Shirley said. “But Lisaira was hitting line drives, trying to keep everyone positive, bringing so much energy. That’s when I realized that I wanted to be just like her.”

After being stunned by a bad call to start her at-bat, Daniels slapped a 3-run home run over the left-field wall to give the Orange a 5-2 lead over the Crimson. As the Syracuse crowd erupted around her, Shirley briskly circled the bases then retreated to the bench, the competitive look on her face unchanged.

Lisaira yelled for her attention from the crowd and she looked up. After screaming at the umpire just two pitches ago Lisaira adopted a gentle tone and said, “You’re awesome Shirley.”

Shirley mouthed back “thank you,” and finally cracked a smile.

“I will always protect and support her no matter what,” Lisaira said. “The other day she texted me and told me I was her biggest fan, and I just told her that I have been all along.”

Published on April 2, 2013 at 12:42 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse