Typically, relievers are used much less in softball than in baseball through the college and professional ranks.
An underhand softball throwing motion produces much less wear and tear on the arm, meaning starting pitchers can often go the distance, especially since regulation softball is only seven innings.
High-end starting pitchers in college softball can pitch more than 200 innings and appear in more than 40 games, mostly as a starter, during a 50-60 game season.
However, Morgan State has thrown tradition out the window and it has resulted in one of the best pitching staffs in the nation. One beneficiary is senior Melissa Paz, who made 23 appearances last year, mostly as a multi-inning reliever.
“Coming off last year, I had a great year,” Paz said. “I hit well. I pitched well on the mound. There’s a lot that comes with that, a lot of expectations, especially a lot moving forward.”
Paz finished the season with a 1.15 ERA in 61 innings pitched, finishing in the top 10 in ERA in among qualified Division I pitchers.
Not only did she light it up on the mound, she was successful as a hitter, too. Paz slashed .283/.391/.434 with 13 extra-base hits for the Bears. That two-way success led to added confidence for her, and she took a big step forward from 2021 to 2022.
Her innings pitched nearly doubled, her strikeouts more than doubled and her ERA went down by more than two full runs. She allowed just four more hits in 24 more innings. Opponents hit just .184 off her all season, down significantly from .259 the prior season.
“She’s really good at coming in and calming the infielders and the defense,” Morgan State head coach Larry Hineline said. “She’s able to make tough pitches in tough counts against tough hitters. I think it’s all about focus and concentration. Her ball moves, her location is great and she doesn’t give into hitters.”
“I’ve thrown her out in bases-loaded, no-outs situations before, and I know she can get out of them because she’s done it before, no problem,” the coach added. “She’s all-in.”
The Bears reached the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and won the MEAC regular-season title in 2022, finishing 18-3 in conference play. The past two seasons, Morgan has posted a combined record of 55-32 overall and a 32-8 in the MEAC.
The pitching staff was among the best in college softball in 2022, posting a 2.06 team ERA. Everyone from that staff has returned this season.
Paz knows that Morgan will be circled on schedules for teams throughout the conference and the country in 2023, but she is prepared and eager for what teams will throw at her.
“I think everyone is aware that we’re going to have a target on our backs, especially Howard,” Paz said, referring to the preseason conference favorites. “Everyone is going to look forward to that rivalry, those games. It’s nothing that’s unexpected, and we’re all aware and ready to face it as the season comes. … I’m very excited that I’m playing with the exact team I’m playing with this year.”
Paz graduated early and entered Morgan’s MBA program, so that has thrown another thing onto Paz’s plate aside from softball. She will continue to work on balancing both as the year progresses.
Combining academics and athletics can be daunting for some, but Paz has embraced the challenge.
“This being my first semester in my MBA, I’m learning how to balance softball and that workload hand in hand,” Paz said. “It’s a new experience for myself. It’s a lot of learning, a bunch of school, a bunch of softball, but it’s nothing that I wasn’t ready for.”
What will be embraced by the entire team are those aforementioned games against Howard this season. The Bison prevented Morgan from reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2022. The Bears lost, 5-4, in the MEAC tournament championship as the No. 1 seed.
That memory has been burned into the minds of this season’s returning players as one they never want to experience again. Paz especially has done some offseason work to make sure she’s at her best to get the Bears back to an NCAA Tournament regional in 2023.
“It’s something no one ever wants to think of or experience, especially after having won two seasons ago,” Paz said. “That being my first full season after COVID, it was the experience of a lifetime. … Last season, to lose by one run, it put a lot of things into perspective, something that no one expected from that team.”
And that experience has added extra motivation to this year’s team.
“It put a lot of fire under us,” Paz said. “With all of that being in play, there’s no excuse for this year to have that happen again.”
Photo Credits: Byron McFadden
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023