MARCELLUS - Lisa MacLachlan was confused.
Angela Kershner / The Citizen
Jordan-Elbridge pitcher Colleen Ryan (4) strikes out Marcellus' Amy Sniffen for her record-breaking 1,279th career strikeout during the Eagles' game against the Mustangs at Marcellus Park Wednesday.
Jordan-Elbridge pitcher Colleen Ryan (4) strikes out Marcellus' Amy Sniffen for her record-breaking 1,279th career strikeout during the Eagles' game against the Mustangs at Marcellus Park Wednesday.
The Marcellus softball coach wondered why her team's game came to a screeching halt with two outs in the fourth inning against Jordan-Elbridge on Monday. A fair amount of chaos ensued at Marcellus Park when Mustangs senior Amy Sniffen walked away from the batter's box with her head hung and tears in her eyes while the Eagles bench cleared and all of the defenders joined Eagles pitcher Colleen Ryan in the circle in congratulations.
With the pitch count full on Sniffen, Ryan had just thrown a perfect fastball to strike her out looking. It was the sixth and final time the pitcher had fanned a Mustangs batter in the game, her 167th strikeout thrown this season and the 1,279th of her career - breaking the New York State record set by Jamesville-Dewitt's Sarah Reed in 2004.
“I was a little bit off because I thought she had 13 or 14 more to go,” MacLachlan said. “We were trying hard not to let her get it against us and we didn't figure that she would. I mean, what kid wants to be the kid that she strikes out that one time? (Sniffen) was a bit teary because nobody wants that. Kudos to her for accomplishing this, though, it's a nice thing for us little (Section III) Class B schools to have. We're happy to have someone from our league get this record.”
She isn't the only one.
To say that getting the record is a weight off Ryan's shoulders would be an understatement. Like any other athlete, Ryan had been going through a slump recently, throwing more walks (43) than strikeouts (35) in the last five games after averaging one walk and 14 strikeouts per game in the first eight. The speculation about what could be affecting Ryan's performance grew so big that one would think she played third base for the New York Yankees. Everything from a possible injury to her state of mind down the stretch toward the record was suggested by fans, causal on-lookers and opposing players in the last week.
“Everyone goes through trouble spots,” Ryan said. “Mine just happened to be before I got the state record. It was probably not the best time to do that, but it happens every year. I don't know if it was the pressure (of breaking the record), we just had so many games in a row and when one thing goes wrong, you don't really have the chance to practice it. My form went a little crooked and I worked on it. Either way, I fixed it.”
After walking 21 batters and striking out eight in an incomplete game with Solvay the day before, many pitchers might not have reacted the way Ryan did.
“She had a tough outing last night and then she went home and what did she want to do?” Eagles head coach Joe Ryan said. “She wanted to go throw and work on her mechanics. She couldn't wait to come here; she's always pitched well in Marcellus. She liked the park and she just wanted to get in and get it done.”
The Eagles lost 4-0 to the Mustangs, giving Ryan her second loss of the season - and just her third in the last 35 games - but the determined senior seemed to return to form after four innings in the circle. She struck out Mustangs lead-off batter Sarah Clere in four throws and Kelly Harris in three in the first inning; Alicia Hunt and Danielle Bishop went down back-to-back in nine pitches in the second, and Hunt and Sniffen fanned in the fourth. Colleen's dad and coach was every bit as happy as his thrower was when that record-breaking third strike was finally called
“I feel a lot of relief for Colleen,” Joe Ryan said. “I'm proud to death of her, but it's been tough. As her coach, I wanted to see her work through the struggles, but as a parent, I wanted to cry for her.”
Colleen Ryan started playing fast pitch softball at age 9 and has been part of the Eagles varsity team since the seventh grade. She never set out to get her name in any record book, even though she has always been one of the most talented throwers in Section III.
“I wasn't a prodigy or anything,” Colleen Ryan said. “I definitely had to work on my pitching just like anybody else. I didn't even think about (the record) this year. I've always tried to take things game by game.”
She split pitching time with her older sister, Jenn, then a senior, her first year on the team, racking up 132 strikeouts. Colleen exploded for 980 more as the Eagles' sole thrower during last four years, including 325 last year as she led Jordan-Elbridge to a Section III, Class B title and a run at the state championship. While Colleen will only be adding to her record in the Eagles' final seven regular season games, she will be splitting time with first-year sophomore Erica Peterson.
“I'm not going to be here next year and we're building this program,” Colleen Ryan said. “We have a really good pitcher behind me, a great JV pitcher and even a great modified pitcher, so we're definitely going to keep up the run when I leave.”
It's hard to believe that anyone could match the run Colleen Ryan has been on the last six years. No-hitters, one-hitters and perfect games sprinkle throughout her high school athletic career. The talk about her caving under the pressure of something like a state record that will only serve as one highlight on her softball resume is nearly inconceivable. In the school's first ever sectional championship win last season, she tossed 20 strikeouts and caught the last out in a 3-0 victory over Adirondack.
“I wasn't trying to break this record, but it did get hyped up a lot,” Colleen Ryan said. “People were telling me that with all the pressure, I couldn't pitch but it really wasn't that. I have had pressure for a long time. There is a lot of pressure that I have on me every game.”
Now that the strikeout record has finally been attained, Colleen Ryan and the Eagles can resume their quest to defend their Section III title - without all the cameras and hoards of speculation.
“Usually, she relaxes and enjoys that stuff,” Joe Ryan said. “So it's good to be done. You could see the smile on her face and her shoulders relax. The old shooter's back.”
Through the years
Jordan-Elbridge senior Colleen Ryan has been piling up the K's since she was in seventh grade.
Season Strikeouts
2002 132
2003 201
2004 229
2005 225
2006 325
2007 167
With the pitch count full on Sniffen, Ryan had just thrown a perfect fastball to strike her out looking. It was the sixth and final time the pitcher had fanned a Mustangs batter in the game, her 167th strikeout thrown this season and the 1,279th of her career - breaking the New York State record set by Jamesville-Dewitt's Sarah Reed in 2004.
“I was a little bit off because I thought she had 13 or 14 more to go,” MacLachlan said. “We were trying hard not to let her get it against us and we didn't figure that she would. I mean, what kid wants to be the kid that she strikes out that one time? (Sniffen) was a bit teary because nobody wants that. Kudos to her for accomplishing this, though, it's a nice thing for us little (Section III) Class B schools to have. We're happy to have someone from our league get this record.”
She isn't the only one.
To say that getting the record is a weight off Ryan's shoulders would be an understatement. Like any other athlete, Ryan had been going through a slump recently, throwing more walks (43) than strikeouts (35) in the last five games after averaging one walk and 14 strikeouts per game in the first eight. The speculation about what could be affecting Ryan's performance grew so big that one would think she played third base for the New York Yankees. Everything from a possible injury to her state of mind down the stretch toward the record was suggested by fans, causal on-lookers and opposing players in the last week.
“Everyone goes through trouble spots,” Ryan said. “Mine just happened to be before I got the state record. It was probably not the best time to do that, but it happens every year. I don't know if it was the pressure (of breaking the record), we just had so many games in a row and when one thing goes wrong, you don't really have the chance to practice it. My form went a little crooked and I worked on it. Either way, I fixed it.”
After walking 21 batters and striking out eight in an incomplete game with Solvay the day before, many pitchers might not have reacted the way Ryan did.
“She had a tough outing last night and then she went home and what did she want to do?” Eagles head coach Joe Ryan said. “She wanted to go throw and work on her mechanics. She couldn't wait to come here; she's always pitched well in Marcellus. She liked the park and she just wanted to get in and get it done.”
The Eagles lost 4-0 to the Mustangs, giving Ryan her second loss of the season - and just her third in the last 35 games - but the determined senior seemed to return to form after four innings in the circle. She struck out Mustangs lead-off batter Sarah Clere in four throws and Kelly Harris in three in the first inning; Alicia Hunt and Danielle Bishop went down back-to-back in nine pitches in the second, and Hunt and Sniffen fanned in the fourth. Colleen's dad and coach was every bit as happy as his thrower was when that record-breaking third strike was finally called
“I feel a lot of relief for Colleen,” Joe Ryan said. “I'm proud to death of her, but it's been tough. As her coach, I wanted to see her work through the struggles, but as a parent, I wanted to cry for her.”
Colleen Ryan started playing fast pitch softball at age 9 and has been part of the Eagles varsity team since the seventh grade. She never set out to get her name in any record book, even though she has always been one of the most talented throwers in Section III.
“I wasn't a prodigy or anything,” Colleen Ryan said. “I definitely had to work on my pitching just like anybody else. I didn't even think about (the record) this year. I've always tried to take things game by game.”
She split pitching time with her older sister, Jenn, then a senior, her first year on the team, racking up 132 strikeouts. Colleen exploded for 980 more as the Eagles' sole thrower during last four years, including 325 last year as she led Jordan-Elbridge to a Section III, Class B title and a run at the state championship. While Colleen will only be adding to her record in the Eagles' final seven regular season games, she will be splitting time with first-year sophomore Erica Peterson.
“I'm not going to be here next year and we're building this program,” Colleen Ryan said. “We have a really good pitcher behind me, a great JV pitcher and even a great modified pitcher, so we're definitely going to keep up the run when I leave.”
It's hard to believe that anyone could match the run Colleen Ryan has been on the last six years. No-hitters, one-hitters and perfect games sprinkle throughout her high school athletic career. The talk about her caving under the pressure of something like a state record that will only serve as one highlight on her softball resume is nearly inconceivable. In the school's first ever sectional championship win last season, she tossed 20 strikeouts and caught the last out in a 3-0 victory over Adirondack.
“I wasn't trying to break this record, but it did get hyped up a lot,” Colleen Ryan said. “People were telling me that with all the pressure, I couldn't pitch but it really wasn't that. I have had pressure for a long time. There is a lot of pressure that I have on me every game.”
Now that the strikeout record has finally been attained, Colleen Ryan and the Eagles can resume their quest to defend their Section III title - without all the cameras and hoards of speculation.
“Usually, she relaxes and enjoys that stuff,” Joe Ryan said. “So it's good to be done. You could see the smile on her face and her shoulders relax. The old shooter's back.”
Through the years
Jordan-Elbridge senior Colleen Ryan has been piling up the K's since she was in seventh grade.
Season Strikeouts
2002 132
2003 201
2004 229
2005 225
2006 325
2007 167
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