GoHeels Exclusive: Brittany Pickett Reinventing Her Way To Success
April 17, 2018 | Softball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
As Taylor Wike crossed home plate for the second time Monday night, Brittany Pickett raised her hands above her head and started waving them upon reaching first base.
With her RBI-single, Pickett sealed the North Carolina softball team's 8-0, six-inning win over N.C. State. The victory handed UNC a 2-1 series win, its third straight against the Wolfpack. And it improved the ACC Coastal Division-leading Tar Heels' record to 25-21 overall and 13-5 in conference play.
Those accomplishments alone were worth celebrating. But so, too, was the performance of Pickett, who logged her best game in a season full of memorable ones.
On the mound, Pickett allowed four hits in her second complete-game shutout of the series. She also returned to UNC's batting order for the first time in 10 days and went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, her RBI single and a walk. Her four RBIs matched a career high.
Behind her, the Tar Heels rebounded from their 10-1 loss against N.C. State on Saturday, when Pickett surrendered six runs (four earned) across four innings.
"I knew it was going to be a dogfight today," Pickett said. "Saturday, I don't know really what happened. I think just being gassed out a little, I don't know. That just kind of set the table for them. But tonight, to come back and really execute in the first inning, score first, that's really what we needed."
And that's what Pickett provided.
Pickett issued a walk in the top of the first inning, but stranded the runner at second base. She then stepped to the plate with one out and runners on first and second in the bottom of the frame. The at-bat marked her first since April 6. And in it, she hit a three-run home run on the eighth pitch, giving UNC a 3-0 lead.
The home run snapped Pickett's 0-for-8 skid over her last six games in the batting order, dating back to the 4-3 loss against Harvard on March 2. It was her third home run of the season and first since the 4-3 loss against California on Feb. 23.
"I knew I needed to take my swings; that's what I've been told multiple times, and this time I just had to do it," she said. "She sent it middle-out, and it was a perfect pitch because that's just what we've been working on. Especially (Sunday), I really focused on my fundamentals in practice, and that's what helped me today."
Although Carolina tallied five more runs, Pickett's home run proved to be all the run support she needed.
After tossing a complete-game shutout against N.C. State in Friday's series opener, she registered another Monday. By doing so, she became the first Tar Heel to throw two complete-game shutouts in the same ACC series since Lori Spingola had two against Florida State in 2011.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Pickett's outings were how they differed.
On Friday, she overpowered the Wolfpack hitters, matching her career high with 10 strikeouts. She threw 127 pitches, her second most this season. She was then more efficient Monday, tossing 85 pitches and only posting two strikeouts as she pitched more to contact.
What Pickett did excel at in both games was getting ahead in the count. Across both starts, she threw first-pitch strikes to 71.1 percent (37-of-52) of the hitters she faced.
"That's what we've been working on since the fall," Pickett said. "(Assistant) coach (Chelsey) Barclay has really emphasized, 'Get ahead, stay ahead and make them chase – make them chase up in the zone and out of the zone. And even mix speeds, too.' That's what I've really succeeded with, and I've been able to execute a lot of my pitches."
Monday's shutout was Pickett's ninth of the season. She leads the ACC in that category and is tied with five other pitchers for the second most in the nation. With 23 wins, she also ranks second in the country in that category.
After ranking in the top 10 in the ACC in 13 pitching categories last season, when she was named ACC Freshman of the Year, Pickett's sophomore success isn't much of a surprise. But it's even more impressive when you consider teams have more film on her now.
To combat that, coach Donna J. Papa said Pickett has reinvented herself as a pitcher. That's included the addition of a backdoor curveball to her pitching arsenal.
"She wants to be the best," said Papa of Pickett. "She has aspirations to go on to the Olympics, she wants to make the USA team. She has goals beyond here, and she doesn't want to settle. She is driven every day to get better.
"I think Chelsey has done a great job with molding her and helping her see her potential and see the ability she does have and how good she can be. And Brittany has embraced that."
Still, despite this focus and shouldering the bulk of the workload in the circle – Pickett has pitched 242 of 311 2/3 innings – she still stays loose on the field.
As Pickett rounded third base after her home run Monday, Papa said Pickett slapped her hand so hard that she checked to see if it was swollen. Then after an inning-ending strikeout in the sixth, Pickett met Papa in front of the dugout, where they practiced a new handshake.
"The thing that's so cool about her is she's so excited and she's so passionate and she loves it and she's so happy," Papa said. "She's such a good team player. Sometimes pitchers can be real prima donnas. And she's not at all. She's just so grateful and she works so hard."
After ranking in the top 40 nationally in home runs per game in seven of the last eight seasons, UNC is 161st in that category through Monday's games. Instead of the long ball, this year's Tar Heel team relies on putting the ball in play, its speed on the basepath and Pickett's pitching.
That formula has worked well so far. But as Pickett showed Monday and throughout last season, when she hit 12 home runs, she can help both on the mound and off it when needed.
"This was her first time back in the lineup in a while," Papa said, "and I don't know if we're going to be able to take her out now."
Â
