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There’s not a better way to describe what Wisecup is doing at the plate this season for the Cotter High School softball team than to just say it. Her batting average is .545.
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Cotter's Whitney Wisecup bats against Rochester Lourdes Friday in Winona, Minn. (Photo by Paul Solberg/Winona Daily News) |
It’s quite ridiculous, and she gave no indication as to how she’s doing it.
She’s not using any special powers. She’s not using a tree trunk for a bat. She doesn’t pause the game mid-pitch, put the ball where she wants it and then un-pause the game (that would be special powers, too, wouldn’t it?).
Whatever her secret is, it’s staying with her.
“This year, I’m being more aggressive,” said Wisecup, a junior who has started since eighth grade. “I usually work on defense. I like playing defense, but this year I’ve tried to work more on hitting. I’m just more confident.”
Cliché, cliché, cliché; she’s not divulging anything.
“I thought it was possible she’d hit well, but to be hitting .500 at this point?” Cotter coach Pat Bowlin said. “And the thing is, all of her hits are quality hits. She’s been hitting line drives all season.”
Wisecup leads the team in every major offensive category except home runs. Along with that batting average, she has 16 RBIs, seven doubles, 13 runs scored, 32 total bases and a .750 slugging percentage. She also has one of Cotter’s seven home runs.
One way to describe Wisecup would be the old Theodore Roosevelt phrase, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
Off the field, Wisecup is a little more conservative than her bat would lead you to believe. On the field, however, it’s probably a good thing she’s doing so well this season.
“When she doesn’t do well, you see it on her,” Bowlin said. “You see her a little frustrated. That intensity really comes out. She cares a lot and plays very hard.”
Wisecup is her own worst critic. So, if she screws up, Bowlin doesn’t really have to tell her. If someone else screws up, she’s not afraid to try and make it better.
“Sometimes you’re afraid of her,” teammate Anna Buege said. “She’ll kind of yell at you, but it’s funny, because she’s so into it. She’s just trying to get better, get the team better and just win.”
Wisecup admits her constructive criticism doesn’t always come off so constructive.
“I’m just very competitive,” Wisecup said. “Sometimes, when I try to encourage, I get this yelling, but then I try to be nice.”
Wisecup has this fiery, intense attitude and it shows.
“She’s definitely one of our more intense players,” Bowlin said. “She’s a coach’s dream. Ask a player to do a drill, and Whitney goes to her fullest. You love it when kids get after it like that. She just cares a lot.”
Along with leading Cotter on offense, Wisecup is one of its main pitchers.
She is 4-1 on the season with 25 strikeouts in 27 innings. Her earned-run average is 4.35, but save for one bad outing — a 15-1 loss to New Ulm where she gave up 14 earned runs — she’s been solid.
