Pitching in a Colonial Valley Conference softball league loaded with quality pitchers, Kelly Tohill was easy to overlook during her days at Hamilton West.
You would have had a hard time convincing opponents of Burlington County College of that this year. The freshman was, in a word, awesome.
As a pitcher, Tohill went 14-8 in 30 games with a 1.87 ERA and 193 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched. She finished second nationally in the NJCAA Division II rankings in complete games by finishing all 26 of her starts. Kelly was fifth in innings pitched, sixth in shutouts (seven) and strikeouts and 13th in games started.
What the heck happened?
“I don’t know,” Tohill said with a shrug. “I haven’t really changed anything. I have a few new pitches, but they’re not significantly different.”
One thing that is different is that Tohill was backed by a solid team, as Burlington nearly repeated as the Region XIX champion this year. As a senior, she played on a Hamilton squad that won just five games.
Tohill was a solid pitcher for the Hornets without solid backing. She was also a decent hitter who has gotten even better in college, as she was one of the top two-way threats in the nation this spring.
Although not among the national leaders offensively, she hit .377 with 43 hits, four doubles, four triples, two home runs and 22 RBI.
Once again, don’t ask her to explain it.
“I don’t know why I’m doing that good now and I wasn’t before,” Tohill said. “If it’s working I’m just gonna stick with it and not try to explain it.
“I didn’t think I was gonna do this good in college actually. I thought it would be a lot harder. It’s not as hard as I thought it was gonna be, but it’s still challenging. There are still some really good hitters in college.”
When pressed on the issue about her pitching, Tohill did credit two things for helping her take off. Early in the season, she was alternating with another freshman (who finished with a 4.98 ERA in 10 starts). Tohill quickly distinguished herself and carried the workload from late March through early May.
“I wasn’t that good when I started,” she said. “But I think it got better because now I’m pitching so much. I actually really like doing that. I don’t think I would like it if somebody else was pitching.”
The other key was an instant chemistry with her new catcher, freshman Sara Butch. A graduate of Cinnaminson High School, Butch transferred from Albright and joined the team in the spring.
Despite not having the fall season to adjust to one another, Tohill and Butch connected quickly.
“We have a really nice thing going on, so that’s good,” Tohill said. “My coaches don’t really call my pitches. It’s basically her. After we played a few games together, she kind of got into the feel of what I like to throw and when I like to throw it.”
Butch said she encountered Tohill at travel tournaments through the years, but neither of them knew much about the other, except they were trying to beat one another. Butch has played a lot of softball and worked with a lot of hurlers, but this chemistry seems special.
“My past pitchers and I, we had a bond but me and Kelly just clicked right away,” Butch said. “We have the same personalities, and she’s just a great pitcher all around. We work well together.”
While Tohill says not much has changed since high school, a few things have.
“I work out now, so I guess that kind of helps,” she said. “I definitely put some speed on my fastball. I’m a lot faster. And we have a great defense on our team.”
Couple that with a better off-speed pitch, and Tohill kept hitters guessing.
“She’s just works so hard,” Butch said. “She’s got a new curveball that is working really well, that she’s striking girls out with. I’d say her screwball and her curve are her out pitches.”
Butch agreed that Tohill is one of those pitchers who gets better when the workload increases.
“I think when she started pitching more, she got into a rhythm,” the catcher said.
One of the biggest keys to pitching, of course, is the attitude a hurler has in the circle. That is another great advantage for Tohill.
“She’s very confident when she goes out there,” Butch said. “She’s not scared, she knows she’s gonna strike people out.
“She picks herself up pretty well if she gets in trouble. She just has so much confidence. Even if something’s not working she’ll keep working at it and work her other pitches pretty well too.”
In case anyone is wondering how Mercer County Community College coach Ryan Zegarski—a Hamilton West grad—let a fellow Hornet get away, the answer is simple.
“Burlington gave me a full scholarship to go there,” said Tohill, noting that MCCC doesn’t have full scholarships to offer.
Despite not playing for Mercer, Tohill pitched against them twice this year. After losing to them 8-0 during the regular season, she came back to win a 5-1 decision in the Region XIX Tournament.
It proved an interesting match-up, as she had to face a bunch of players she threw against in high school, as well as former Hornet teammate Brianna Castellano, who hit .402 this year.
“The first time we played against them I was really nervous,” Tohill said after beating MCCC in the region tournament game. “I pitched against all of them before and knew they could all hit. This time I was really comfortable against them. It was fun pitching against them.
“Brianna and I made a few jokes today when I was hitting and she was catching. She did pretty well. I don’t think I struck her out at all today.”
And the way Tohill blew away hitters this season, that’s saying something.
Kelly Tohill pitches during a 5-1 win against Mercer County Community College. (Photo by Albert Rende.),
