One should never tell a lie, especially to their mom and dad. Emma Dobkin made sure to follow that rule prior to the 2023 Lawrence High softball season.
“I told my parents I’m going in with the mentality I’m going to hit this year,” the Cardinals pitcher/infielder/outfielder said. “I wanted to step up because we did lose four seniors with big stats last year.”
Dobkin has been true to her word. After hitting a respectable .289 as a freshman, she is enjoying a red-hot sophomore season. Through the Cardinals 7-11 start, the sophomore was hitting .483 with eight doubles, two home runs, 18 RBIs and 28 hits. She led the Cardinals in all of those departments. Emma was also Lawrence’s No. 1 pitcher, striking out 140 batters in 113 2/3 innings.
“I was a little disappointed in last year because I knew I could have done better than that,” Dobkin said. “This year I’m just trying to prove to myself I could have done it last year. This year is trying to make up for last year.”
She is doing just that after an off-season aimed at self-improvement.
“I worked a lot on my hitting,” Dobkin said. “This year I wanted to come in with more of an attitude that I want to hit the ball because last season it was a little more mental. Coming in as a freshman I was really nervous but I think this year I’m just really going at it and hitting the ball.”
Cards coach Dana Williams had a one-word description for Dobkin’s improvement.
“Practice,” she said.
“The kid just eats, sleeps, drinks softball,” Williams continued. “She played basketball for me this year but I think that’s more for fun. On softball she’s focused on being the best she can be. She’s gone to hitting lessons, pitching lessons. She plays competitive travel ball. It shows when you practice that much; you’re gonna be that strong. It’s really cool to see it pay off for her.”
When Dobkin arrived as a freshman, Williams became immediately excited. The coach saw not just a player, but a leader.
“My first thought was ‘Man, this kid can play! She’s awesome!’” Williams said. “Her competitive drive is incredible. She’s the oldest sibling, she’s got a bunch of little brothers. I think with that maturity and responsibility, she didn’t play like a freshman even as a freshman. This year she’s playing like a senior as a sophomore. I noticed that out of the gate with her.”
Emma began playing in Lawrence Little League recreation at age 7, and when they handed her the ball in the circle, she winced. But soon, she un-winced.
“When I started pitching I wasn’t really into it, but around 10 years old I really wanted to do it more compared to anything else,” she said. “So I just kept doing it.”
She moved on to play travel in Ewing and Pennsylvania, and for the last three years has played for Rock Gold in Newtown, Pa.
“Ever since I was there I got into it more,” she said. “Now I’m trying to improve, I want to play in college. I’m really serious about it now compared to middle school because middle school was more just playing for fun. Now I want to try to get to that next level.”
Dobkin thinks of herself as more than just a pitcher and that stands to reason when you look at her average. She is also versatile enough to play anywhere. Mostly a third baseman when not pitching, Emma can also play first. When Lawrence lost an outfielder to injury, she immediately asked to give it a try.
“She’s willing to step up anywhere; and at any position she plays she’s one of our top players at that position,” Williams said. “She’s a phenomenal third baseman, she can play first, she’s just a softball player. She puts the work and time in and that’s so nice to see. I’m sure she has a lot of talent naturally, but the hours she puts into being the best she can be, you can notice it.”
The hurler’s stats on the mound have been modest thus far. Last year she had a 3.88 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 77 2/3 innings, and through 13 appearances this year she had a 4.65 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
“She’s phenomenal as a pitcher,” Williams said. “I keep blinking my eyes that she’s a sophomore. She’s only gonna improve and go up. But it’s tough, we have a young team around her. It’s their first year being a varsity starter so we took our bumps.That’s tough on a pitcher. You can be throwing so well but you gotta consistently back her up. Our errors get out of hand sometimes.”
Dobkin made it a priority to progress as a pitcher in the off-season.
“I think this year I’ve improved over last year,” she said. “I’ve got more serious with it, I’ve picked up my velocity this year. I think running in basketball helped. I worked on more of my spin pitches. The ERA is a little high but it’s more that in some games we play a little messy and in the late innings it wears you down a little bit.”
She may wear down in the circle, but never in the batter’s box. Starting in the third game of the season, Dobkin had an 11-game hitting streak during which she batted .568 (21-for-37) with 15 RBIs. Her binge was finally halted by Notre Dame Division I commit Ryle Michalak but overall hit safely in 15 of Lawrence’s first 18 games.
In discussing Emma’s consistency, Williams cites intelligence and repetition.
“It helps that she’s such a good, smart ballplayer and pitcher,” the coach said. “She knows what the pitcher’s gonna throw a lot because she thinks about it like a pitcher. She doesn’t just walk up to the plate like ‘I hope.’ She walks up to the plate ultra-confident because she has every reason to be. She mentally thinks about what’s coming but she keeps her swing very simple and fundamental.
“When you watch her swing the bat she has the same routine. The same warm-up when she gets on deck. Once she’s in the on-deck circle she’s timing her up. She’s just so focused and competitive. I also think it’s that competitive edge. If she doesn’t have a great inning pitching or something doesn’t quite go our way in the field, that’s when she seems to hit the ball over the fence. She gets that aggravation out at the plate sometimes.”
The coach added that Dobkin puts her whole body into a swing, not just her arms. As for her own thoughts on hitting success, Emma feels it’s all about a mindset.
“I just approach each at-bat that I’m gonna hit the ball,” she said. “If it’s close I’m fouling it off, I’m not letting things go. It’s just the confidence. I’ve gotten so much more confident with my at-bats compared to last year. I’ve always been a bigger hitter and last year I was a little disappointed. That’s not who I am.”
This year, she is showing exactly who she is.