Opponents Can't Rattle This Pitcher
Note: This story originated while working as a prep sports writer and covering a softball tournament in Concord. I ended up hanging out with the fans, and learned that a dazzling pitcher on the mound happened to be deaf. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't wandered over there.
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 14, 1998
Liberty High School's softball players stood in their dugout Thursday, gripping the chain-link fence in front of them.
The defending North Coast Section 3A champions were down to their final at-bat. They shouted. They screamed. And there was nothing they could do.
Because out on the mound, Natalie Carrillo didn't hear their cries. Instead, the Concord High pitcher promptly went about her business, retiring the final batter on a sharp grounder back to the mound to complete a 5-1 victory in the opening round of the Queen of the Mountain Tournament.
Carrillo was born deaf, but as she showed in the upset victory, few things get inside her head. She sidesteps the handicap label. A three-year varsity starter, Carrillo is a hard-throwing right-hander who would rather be recognized as an unrelenting brave spirit.
"Sometimes being deaf is an advantage," Carrillo said without the aid of a translator. "You don't hear the bad comments on the other team. I just rely on my mental game."
The 5-foot-7 junior scattered three hits over seven innings, with one strikeout and two walks. She had six assists off the mound. And, as if that wasn't enough, Carrillo clouted the game-clinching, three-run homer in the top of the seventh, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 cushion.
"She did a nice job," Liberty coach Rich Barrios said. "She kept the ball down and we really didn't have many opportunities. And when we did, it didn't seem to faze her."
It is that confidence that Carrillo leans on in pressure situations, forcing the outside elements to dissolve into echoes and distant murmurs.
"I think I've worked on my mental game more," said Carrillo, who joined the Minutemen as a freshman shortstop. "I've concentrated more on blocking everything out."
As a freshman, playing in this same tournament, Carrillo broke her ankle after colliding with her center fielder while in pursuit of a pop fly. She said she'd never let that happen again -- a severe communication breakdown, a lapse.
Last year, she was named to the Queen of the Mountain's all-tournament squad. On Thursday, with two outs and two runners on in the seventh inning, Carrillo smashed a fastball deep over the head of Mamie Daniels, Liberty's left fielder.
Carrillo, Concord's cleanup hitter and only pitcher, is expected to shoulder a heavy load for the Minutemen.
"She's probably one of the strongest players who has played for me in a lot of years," said George Wheable, in his 13th season at Concord.
Wheable also can relate to Carrillo's handicap; his daughter, Kellie, is deaf. He coached his daughter at Concord 15 seasons ago.
"You have to make some very minor concessions," Wheable said. "She has to look at you when you talk. She can't hear. It's easy for me. I've lived with it my whole life."
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 14, 1998
Liberty High School's softball players stood in their dugout Thursday, gripping the chain-link fence in front of them.
The defending North Coast Section 3A champions were down to their final at-bat. They shouted. They screamed. And there was nothing they could do.
Because out on the mound, Natalie Carrillo didn't hear their cries. Instead, the Concord High pitcher promptly went about her business, retiring the final batter on a sharp grounder back to the mound to complete a 5-1 victory in the opening round of the Queen of the Mountain Tournament.
Carrillo was born deaf, but as she showed in the upset victory, few things get inside her head. She sidesteps the handicap label. A three-year varsity starter, Carrillo is a hard-throwing right-hander who would rather be recognized as an unrelenting brave spirit.
"Sometimes being deaf is an advantage," Carrillo said without the aid of a translator. "You don't hear the bad comments on the other team. I just rely on my mental game."
The 5-foot-7 junior scattered three hits over seven innings, with one strikeout and two walks. She had six assists off the mound. And, as if that wasn't enough, Carrillo clouted the game-clinching, three-run homer in the top of the seventh, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 cushion.
"She did a nice job," Liberty coach Rich Barrios said. "She kept the ball down and we really didn't have many opportunities. And when we did, it didn't seem to faze her."
It is that confidence that Carrillo leans on in pressure situations, forcing the outside elements to dissolve into echoes and distant murmurs.
"I think I've worked on my mental game more," said Carrillo, who joined the Minutemen as a freshman shortstop. "I've concentrated more on blocking everything out."
As a freshman, playing in this same tournament, Carrillo broke her ankle after colliding with her center fielder while in pursuit of a pop fly. She said she'd never let that happen again -- a severe communication breakdown, a lapse.
Last year, she was named to the Queen of the Mountain's all-tournament squad. On Thursday, with two outs and two runners on in the seventh inning, Carrillo smashed a fastball deep over the head of Mamie Daniels, Liberty's left fielder.
Carrillo, Concord's cleanup hitter and only pitcher, is expected to shoulder a heavy load for the Minutemen.
"She's probably one of the strongest players who has played for me in a lot of years," said George Wheable, in his 13th season at Concord.
Wheable also can relate to Carrillo's handicap; his daughter, Kellie, is deaf. He coached his daughter at Concord 15 seasons ago.
"You have to make some very minor concessions," Wheable said. "She has to look at you when you talk. She can't hear. It's easy for me. I've lived with it my whole life."
posted by Corey at 9:28 AM
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