NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONAL : DeWalt’s Confidence Isn’t as High as Her Batting Average

FULLERTON —  What does Cal State Fullerton shortstop Denise DeWalt have to do to gain a little confidence in herself?

DeWalt hit a Big West Conference-leading .383 during the regular season and led the Titans in runs (29), hits (79), doubles (nine), runs batted in (20) and game-winning hits (eight).

She recently won conference player-of-the-year honors and Friday was named to the All-West Region first team, which qualifies her for All-American honors.

DeWalt is one of the primary reasons fifth-ranked Fullerton is playing host to Cal State Long Beach and Toledo in this weekend’s NCAA Regionals.

But does DeWalt ever step up to the plate knowing she’s going to get a hit or get on base?

No.

Does she ever take the field knowing she is going to make all the routine plays and perhaps a spectacular one?

No.

Considering her performance this season and the respect the leadoff batter has earned from Big West coaches and players, DeWalt is either extremely modest or somewhat insecure.

Or a little of both.

“It’s funny, because I probably should possess more confidence than I have,” said DeWalt, a 5-foot-9 junior who bats left-handed. “But I’ve had enough bad games in my life to be humble, and I’ve blown some games this year. I’ve thrown the ball away and struck out with the bases loaded.

“Those games pop into your head when you think things are going good and you can’t do anything wrong. You never know what to expect, so it’s hard going into a game thinking you’re going to do great.”

Though the good times have far outnumbered the bad times, DeWalt’s few failures this season have provided the balance required to keep a level head.

She had what she called “the worst game of my life” March 7, when she committed errors on two consecutive routine ground balls that led to runs and allowed UC Santa Barbara to upset Fullerton, 6-4, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Titans had won the first, 12-2.

The next day, she had four hits as Fullerton split a pair with Cal Poly Pomona. Among her other highlights were an RBI single in the 12th inning that gave the Titans a 2-1 victory over Pacific and an RBI single in the 21st inning that gave Fullerton a 3-2 victory over Fresno State.

“You play so many games in a season that you don’t have time to sulk or get down after a bad one,” said DeWalt, whose error total (18) leads the team but whose fielding percentage (.933) is far from being the worst. “And after the good games, you don’t really have time to celebrate.”

Handling success has always been easier than handling failure--DeWalt has had a problem dwelling too long on errors--but several sessions with Titan sports psychologist Ken Ravizza have helped.

“He taught me a lot about throwing errors away so you don’t make another one,” DeWalt said. “After someone makes an error, the whole team picks up some dirt and throws it away, like you’re throwing that error away.”

Ravizza has also helped ease the pressure DeWalt felt offensively by teaching her to concentrate only on having a good at-bat, not on getting a hit or reaching base.

“I have confidence in my hitting, but I never go up to the plate feeling that I’m going to get on base,” DeWalt said. “But if I just focus on having a good at-bat, it takes the pressure off thinking I have to get a hit. When you focus on each pitch, balls will usually drop.”

DeWalt’s self-doubts are most likely rooted in the fact that, from the time she first came to Fullerton on a recruiting trip, she really wasn’t sure if she could cut it at the Division I level.

DeWalt, who had a 4.0 grade-point average last semester, graduated in 1989 from Bakersfield East High School, where she was a four-year letterman in softball and volleyball and a two-year letterman in basketball and soccer.

Iowa was the only Division I school that showed a lot of interest, but DeWalt decided to attend Cedarville College, an NAIA school in Ohio that assured her she could play as many sports as she wanted.

DeWalt played volleyball, basketball and softball as a freshman, and that spring she led the NAIA with a .615 average and set school records for runs (50), hits (75), doubles (21) and stolen bases (26). But the pitching, DeWalt admits, was nothing compared to Division I.

“It was similar to decent high school pitching,” she said.

A combination of Cedarville Coach Bob Fires’ resignation and a touch of homesickness spurred DeWalt’s decision to return to Bakersfield in the winter of her sophomore year.

She called Titan assistant Kathy Van Wyk, who had coached DeWalt on a summer league team, and Van Wyk encouraged her to transfer to Fullerton. But after visiting during the 1991 PONY Tournament, which featured many of the nation’s best teams, DeWalt wasn’t so sure.

“I couldn’t believe how good the pitching and defense were,” DeWalt said. “I had never faced that kind of pitching and was wondering if I would adjust to it.”

Van Wyk assured DeWalt that she would have almost a year to practice and improve, and that she shouldn’t worry about it at the time. But when the 1992 season rolled around, DeWalt was still intimidated.

“It’s hard-core here compared to Cedarville and high school,” DeWalt said. “There’s a lot more pressure, and you can’t make mistakes. I wanted this, but I knew it would be harder.”

Said Fullerton Coach Judi Garman: “When we played Ohio State in the PONY Tournament, she was in awe because when she was at Cedarville, they were some huge, Big 10 school. But to us, Ohio State was just another team. That was a big change for her, and it took awhile for her to feel comfortable.”

As the season progressed, DeWalt has gone from the intimidated to the intimidator. Because she can slap the ball and hit for power--most lefty leadoff batters are strictly slap hitters--teams aren’t sure how to play DeWalt, who has confounded her share of defenses this season.

“She’s been a money player when the game is on the line,” Garman said. “It’s amazing teams have continued to pitch to her.”