In compiling data and information from this past weekend’s games, I noticed a number of record-breaking performances around the country. Most of the softball-loving public has followed Jocelyn Alo’s chase for the all-time home run record, but these achievements received only a small percentage of that notoriety.
While All-American and Player of the Year awards are celebrated – and rightfully so – standing atop a certain category on a list of every player to ever come through your program is its own cause worth celebrating. A decade down the road, the trophy case will be the headliner but broken records are the “meat” on which a legacy can be defined.
Take Jenny Jansen for instance. The Southern Illinois infielder earned all-conference honors as both a freshman and a sophomore, but not since then. Even without those awards, during her career at SIU, Jansen has been a stalwart in the Saluki batting order and defensive lineup. Whenever her team has called, she’s answered; now in her fifth season at SIU, Jansen has started games in the outfield, at first base, at shortstop, and has even made two appearances in the pitching circle this season.
On Saturday, Jansen hit a home run and recorded five RBIs, setting the new SIU program record for runs batted in. That record should be at the forefront of Jansen’s legacy when her career as a Saluki comes to a close. She may not have the bulging trophy case that appropriately underscores her impact on the program, but that career RBI record with her name atop it is a great starting point for how important Jansen was to the Salukis’ program during her career – and she’s still got a few months worth of games to add to her own benchmark.
When anyone thinks of Rachel Rook at Southeast Missouri, they’re likely to remember the wins and championships to which she was a crucial part. They’re also likely to remember her OVC Pitcher of the Year award from the 2021 season. Should anyone fail to remember just how good Rook was in the circle, though, a quick reminder of her own newly-set record should bring them up to speed very quickly.
Rook’s claim to history this week was breaking the SEMO program’s career strikeout number. She did it in style, striking out thirteen batters in the record-setting game, and setting a new program all-time mark with her 502nd “K” late in the outing. Rook has sometimes taken a backseat to the Redhawk offense in the headlines, while other times she has stepped out and shone on a big stage. Boasting such a record to her credit is a tall feather in Rook’s Redhawk cap.
Look at Saint Louis’Â Sadie Wise. Wise has maintained a relatively low profile during her career at SLU, but last weekend, set the program’s career record for base hits. Wise already holds SLU records in nearly a half-dozen other categories and has a chance at breaking a few others before her career ends after this season. With more than 220 hits to her credit during her career as a Billiken, Wise’s career has excelled in every necessary part of an offensive player.
Get on base? Wise has done it. Hit home runs? She’s done that a lot, too. Drive in runs? You guessed it – she’s there. Even defensively, Wise boasts nearly 1,000 putouts in her career. Anybody who knows SLU softball will not soon forget Sadie Wise’s name, and yet another record filed under her name only embellishes the legacy she’s already leaving.
While we’re at it, how about a glance at Charlotte’s Bailey Vannoy? She catches, she plays the outfield, she hits leadoff, and most importantly in today’s context, she hits dingers. Vannoy is the only player in Charlotte program history to cross the 40-home run mark in her career, doing so in a conference matchup against UTSA this weekend and setting the new program record while she was at it.
A home run record from a leadoff hitter isn’t exactly meeting the traditional stereotype. That’s okay, though, because Vannoy is not a stereotypical leadoff hitter. After hitting four home runs in her freshman season, Vannoy has never gone a year without reaching double-digits in that category, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 season when she had twelve dingers by the time the year ended.
How about Saint Francis’ Mekenzie Saban, who has dominated NEC pitchers during her career in a fashion much like the football coach who shares her surname dominates opposing teams. Saban’s 53rd career double was her record to write home about this week, and she did it in style, going 6-6 with three 2-baggers in a doubleheader. Saint Francis head coach Jessica O’Donnell described Saban as an “incredible hitter” with an “unbelievable” work ethic. Saban will end her career as one of the best players in Red Flash program history and her record-breaking performances will be no-small-part of how she’s remembered in program laurels – and it’s a safe bet that those records will also be prominently featured on her eventual Hall of Fame plaque.
No Murray State offensive player has driven in more runs than Sierra Gilmore, who notched her 144th career RBI in a doubleheader over SIUE this weekend to become the Racers’ program’s all-time leader in that category. The Murray State program has had some successful years in its history and had some sturdy offenses. But Gilmore’s name rests atop the career chart for runs batted in, possibly the statistic that most greatly accounts for a player’s productivity in the lineup.
I’d also be remiss not to mention South Florida pitcher Georgina Corrick who, with every new record broken, continues to cement her legacy in both USF program history and as one of the best to ever play the game. Whether it’s innings pitched, strikeouts, shutouts, or other records, Corrick’s durability in the circle harkens back to the days when a pitcher might throw hundreds of innings a year and be dominant from first to last. Speaking of eventual Hall of Fame plaques, Corrick should probably go ahead and start practicing her speech now.
There were a lot of records broken this week and the players who did the breaking deserved more than a half-line of mention at the bottom of a full article. It also gives an opportunity to note the often-underrated value of breaking a record and registering one’s name in program lore. Standing atop an all-time statistical category is a significant and noteworthy achievement.
