As a pitcher who relies on a variety of drops and bouncers, senior Stacey Zagol is bouncing back from a mediocre junior season to turn in a career year in her final months with the Virginia softball team.
After an outstanding sophomore campaign during which she compiled 19 wins and was named to the ACC All-Conference and All-Tournament teams, Zagol experienced quite a drop-off last year. The right-hander saw her ERA jump from 1.55 to 2.29 and her innings decrease precipitously, from over 200 in 1998 to 134 in 1999.
With her last games as a Cavalier looming, however, Zagol has picked up the pace this season and emerged as the team's top pitcher. The Berwyn, Pa. native leads the Cavs in almost every conceivable pitching category: wins (8), ERA (1.77), appearances (23), strikeouts (80) and complete games (8).
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"She is our workhorse," said Cav coach Cheryl Sprangel, whose team is suffering through a 15-25 season. "She gives us consistency on the mound, which is something we need right now."
Zagol's consistency shined most brightly in Virginia's set of doubleheaders this week. In the first game against Harvard Tuesday, Zagol delivered a gem on two days rest with a complete game two-hit shutout that featured five strikeouts and only one walk.
Twenty-four hours later, Zagol returned to the mound at The Park to relieve sophomore Kristen Dennis, who suffered a fifth-inning collapse against UMBC, and struck out the side in the eighth to kick off a perfect two-inning relief appearance.
In all, Zagol pitched eight innings of scoreless ball in a span of two days to collect two wins, her seventh and eighth of the season.
"She's throwing real hard," senior outfielder Corinne Good said. "Her pitches are breaking well. She's throwing a lot of bouncers, so the batters aren't making contact."
As a low-ball pitcher who throws mostly drops, Zagol is dependent on keeping batters swinging at a knee-high level. In last weekend's Hoo's Who Tournament at The Park, Zagol and the Cavs other regular starters, Dennis and Chrissy Quinn, struggled as the Cavs lost three of four games. After dominant performances against the Crimson and Retrievers, however, Zagol said she has found her comfort zone.
Wednesday "everything was breaking and [pitches] were getting called outside, which is where I like it," she said. "The team was playing great defense behind me, so all I had to do was come in and keep the ball low."
Before this week's four-game win streak, the Cavs had been dismayed by a difficult season that had seen them play through losing streaks of seven, six, five and four games. Despite having what Zagol called the most talented team she had ever been a part of, the Cavaliers have been unable to duplicate the pitching prowess that led them to two straight second-place finishes at the ACC Softball Championships. While last year's team registered a combined ERA of 2.08, this season's staff has surrendered 2.25 earned runs per game.
As the second senior on the pitching staff, Zagol joins Quinn to provide leadership from the mound as the Cavs try to turn their luck around, starting with their ACC-opener against North Carolina Saturday. Sprangel said that Zagol's quiet leadership style is effective.
"She definitely leads by example," Sprangel said.
Said Good: "She's always been one of our leaders. She's tried to fill that role since she's been here."
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