Robin Mackin, Fresno State's softball ace, is making a lot of noise again this year. That's the sound of her fastball smacking into the catcher's mitt for strikes.
Mackin is 14-6 heading into this week's Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton. Last year at this time she was 13-6. Though her strikeouts per seven innings is down (10.3 to 8.5), she has developed a nice change-up to go with the fastball, rise ball and slider, making her a more complete pitcher like All-Americans Jaime Southern and Amanda Scott.
Mackin has a 1.21 ERA, has won her last seven starts and saved two games for Merryann Barr last week. She has 169 Ks in 139 innings, a pace that is behind last year's school record 402 Ks in 273 1/3 innings.
During the Bulldog Classic, when Mackin won four times, I usually sit high above in the press box. I wanted a closer look at Mackin, so I went down by the screen near home plate. Mackin looks twice as fast at the close distance. And the sound of the ball hitting catcher Nichole Willis' mitt? it's scary. It comes in with such force that the contact -- TWACK! -- sounds like someone hitting a mattress as hard as they can with a bat. In games against overmatched Connecticut and Toledo, their batters were lucky to hit foul balls. The majority of swings were late, and when contact was made, nobody hit to the strong side, always to the opposite field.
Mackin hasn't been timed on the gun yet, but it's my observation that she throws comparable to a baseball pitcher winging it up there close to 90 mph.
What's even scarier is that Mackin tends to lose control now and then. She's hit seven batters. Not only do they have to deal with the fastball, but they know it might be in their ear any second.
This week will tell a lot about Mackin's maturity. The Bulldogs, at the Judi Garman Classic, face two ranked teams in Louisiana-Lafayette and Arizona State right off the bat. They could be facing six other teams ranked in the Top 25.
If Mackin continues her streak, Fresno State is destined to climb from No. 27 back into the Top 25.
Mackin is great to watch. She struck out 16 in Fresno State's 6-1 victory over the nation's 2nd-ranked team, Arizona State. It is amazing how Margie Wright continues to find such great pitching and keep the Bulldogs a national power year after year. Good luck the rest of the season to Robin and the Bulldogs! We are pulling for you.