Oriole pitcher receives third consecutive award

Sports

June 30, 2009

By Kevin Leibrock The Hendricks County Flyer Tue Jun 30, 2009, 04:37 PM EDT

It may be hard to believe, but there was once a time in which Avon softball ace Jenny Esparza felt intimidated on the diamond.

She was seven.

She was also the only girl on her Little League baseball team.

“It was uncomfortable at first,” Esparza said. “But eventually I got used to it and it was a lot of fun.”

Esparza switched to softball a year later, but didn’t move into her current position as a pitcher until she was 14 years old.

“I just kind of picked (pitching) up,” Esparza said. “I always wanted to try it. I just looked at the older girls that were pitching and just thought it was really cool. Once you get comfortable with it, you just naturally build confidence.”

Since then, she has been the one intimidating batters with an arsenal of virtually unhittable pitches.

As a senior in 2009, she wrapped up her record-breaking Avon career by going 24-3 on the mound with an earned-run average of just 0.15. Esparza tossed 431 strikeouts to lead the state.

She was also one of the Orioles’ top hitters in 2009.

At the plate, Esparza recorded a .452 batting average with 42 hits, 23 RBI, and four home runs. Her batting average led the team.

For her accomplishments, Esparza has been named the Hendricks County Flyer Female Athlete of the Season. This year marks the third in a row that she has received the award.

Esparza was also recently named 2009 Miss Softball by the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association. In June, she played in the ICGSA North-South All-Star doubleheader.

Over her four-year career, Esparza re-wrote several Avon school records, including strikeouts in a game, season, and career.

She said she is honored to receive recognition for her efforts, but never focused on attaining individual goals while on the mound.

“I think it’s awesome,” Esparza. “But I don’t go out there for all the strikeouts. I just go out there and try to get the victory and have fun.”

Esparza’s arm led the Orioles to plenty of victories.

During each of her four years, Avon hoisted a sectional championship trophy. In 2009, the Orioles went 28-3 and spent several weeks ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. However, they fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a state title, dropping a 1-0 regional contest to eventual Class 4A state champion Center Grove.

Despite the loss, Esparza looked back fondly on a career filled with highlights.

“I’m really going to miss the girls because I was with them for four years,” Esparza said. “I don’t really have a favorite memory, but something that was kind of special for me as a pitcher was when I had my first high school career perfect game this year against Ben Davis.”

This fall, Esparza will attend Butler University and play softball.

Unlike many star athletes who weigh countless options when deciding to continue their sport in college, Esparza said her choice of Butler was an easy one.

“It’s close to home,” Esparza said of the school. “I like that it’s far enough from my house but it’s also close enough so that if I ever need anything I can go home and not have to travel too far. The education that I will get there is great as well.”

kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com

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