Stevie Hansen has had to learn to shake things off at Oregon.
The Ducks softball ace went 13-8 with 3.27 ERA as a freshman, with 126 strikeouts over 124.1 innings. But in Pac-12 play, she went 8-8 with a 4.14 ERA with 60 strikeouts over 74.1 innings and most of the mistakes or pitches Hansen left hanging ended up over the fence, as her 21 home runs allowed was among the most in the conference.
She’s also been given greater latitude in college when it comes to pitch selection, which Hansen been learning to adapt to compared to a more rigid style as a prospect in travel ball.
“Freshman year I didn’t expect to get as many innings as I did, but I didn’t know how to throw to college hitters,” Hansen said. “Yes in travel ball I threw to the best of the best, but I wasn’t sure in college — I’m an 18-year-old playing against 21, 22, especially now with COVID year, older girls. It was understanding if I don’t really comfortable with a pitch, what do I want to feel comfortable with next time. Understanding that control I had in the game and trusting my gut on what I wanted to throw.
“My travel ball, I really liked my pitching coach who called for us and I really liked his ideas but there were times I felt like I’m not sure, but I was always told trust him. Coming here and learning I’m able to shake off if I don’t want to throw what she had called or if I want something different because I see something else happening, I had to learn to be like, yes, I can trust my gut at times.”
Hansen (4-2, 2.30 ERA) hasn’t had to shake off a call from coach Melyssa Lombardi or catcher Terra McGowan yet this season, but knowing she can when need be is reassuring as she leads the No. 22 Ducks (8-2) into their biggest nonconference weekend of the season at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
Lombardi wants UO’s pitchers to feel comfortable in the circle and allows them to disagree with a pitch call and throw what they feel at ease with.
“To me it doesn’t make sense whether it’s a pitch that’s coming from me or coming from our catcher and a pitcher goes, eh, and then they throw it,” Lombardi said. “I don’t know why we would expect that anything good would come out of that. If you as a pitcher have that, that’s not what I want, you need to shake.
“When you’re young and you’re learning you’re maybe not quite as sure about that but I think as you get more experienced, then you don’t worry about well what if it’s wrong. You don’t worry about that; you just know what you want. … If you’re throwing a pitch because you’re indecisive then I think that’s where problems are created. I think Stevie is really decisive with what she wants right now.”
Hansen has 37 strikeouts over 27.1 innings so far this season and most importantly, only four of the 17 hits she’s allowed have been for extra bases, with none leaving the park. That’ll change over the season and possibly this weekend as Hansen could get the start against No. 3 Florida and its No. 1 hitting offense in the country on Saturday.
“I’m excited to see how this weekend goes for all of us all around,” Hansen said. “I think of it as another hitting team. I don’t want to get the moment to big. I know I did that our first game and it was not a good game for myself and I think I want to keep my mind pretty neutral. It’s just a team, it’s a faceless opponent. Let’s get in there and get after it.”
Other than a rough opening day appearance in which she allowed five runs in 0.2 innings against Maryland, Hansen has settled in with scoreless appearances against Ole Miss and North Dakota State and solid starts against Oklahoma State and San Diego State.
“I think the first weekend she put a little pressure on herself,” Lombardi said. “It was nice to see Stevie (last weekend), I thought she looked really sharp. She threw the ball hard, had really good movement, was constantly working ahead.”
