Scroggins, Walker Give Softball 1-2 Punch at Top
5/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
In a lot of ways, Jessie Scroggins and Kyla Walker are your typical 1-2, table-setter hitters with speed to burn, phenomenal on-base percentages and the ability to bunt, slap, hit away and steal bases.
But, there's not many top-of-the-lineup players hitting well above .400. Both on pace to break Lindsey Cargill's one-year-old school record for single-season batting average (.430), Walker and Scroggins are hitting .457 and .449, respectively, going into this weekend's NCAA College Station Regional.
"We've never seen this type of numbers put up by 1-2 holes in our lineup in the history of our program," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose Lady Bears (36-16) face McNeese State (40-19) at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Davis Diamond. "It's pretty phenomenal when you see what those kids are doing."
Following in the footsteps of her older sister, Kayce Walker, an All-Big 12 outfielder (2009-12), Kyla broke Kayce's school-record batting average (.413) when she hit .415 as a freshman in 2016. A three-time first-team All-Big 12 pick, she hit .418 last year and has a career mark of .429 that would shatter Ashley Monceaux's school record (.380).
"Honestly, my sister taught me everything I know," Kyla said. "Growing up with her, she kind of went through it all. So then, she helped me. She was way more nervous than I was. But then, I was so used to watching her and being around college coaches so much that I was just kind of chill about it. I wasn't freaking out when I saw a college coach in select ball."
As a native of Franklin, Texas, which is about 30 miles from College Station and the Texas A&M campus where the Lady Bears will play this weekend, Kyla says there are people in town who "are still mad about us going to Baylor rather than A&M."
But, Moore remembers former Baylor All-Big 12 outfielder Kathy Shelton coming to him when Kyla was in the sixth or seventh grade and saying, "Don't let Kyla Walker get away from Baylor."
"I can't say that I expected her to be this good," Moore said of the younger Walker. "But, I remember (Shelton) specifically telling me, 'Kyla will be really good.' Those things help in recruiting when you know someone who knows talent and knows what we want here. That weighed heavily on me for the next few years until we were actually able to recruit her."
What Walker has been able to do is constantly change her approach and swing as coaches and pitchers work on different ways to attack her, "but nobody has figured her out yet," Moore said. "She doesn't have many weaknesses."
"She's been here three years now, and I can vaguely remember maybe a couple of times where I felt like she wasn't seeing the ball," he said. "The rest of the time, she's just locked-in."
In her best "aw, shucks" country-girl response, the 5-foot-2 Walker is not sure how she was able to adjust to college pitching so quickly. But, it helped that she played for the Impact Gold select program.
"That helped me a lot," she said. "At Franklin, I was the only select player on the team, so we weren't very good. But, in select ball, I've played with seven of the nine starters for A&M. . . . It's just been awesome to be able to perform for my team, honestly, just helping them out. I try to help any way I can. If it's hitting really well, then I'll about it."
Considering that Walker hit a mind-blowing. 787 in her career at Franklin High School, maybe what she's done at the plate shouldn't come as such a big surprise.
Scroggins, though, was recruited out of Lakewood, Calif., as more of a defensive specialist who would lock down the centerfield position for four years. She hit just .261 as a freshman and had the worst on-base percentage on the 2015 team at .288.
While Scroggins has certainly lived up to her reputation in the field, earning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors last season, she has also dramatically improved at the plate. She hit .356 as a sophomore and .352 last year, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors, before exploding this season.
"I didn't see it coming," said Scroggins, who ranks third in the Big 12 and 10th nationally with a .449 batting average. "I'm just trying to have a good year and hopefully finish strong. I think this year, I've been more aggressive and trying to go after better pitches."
One of the biggest differences, especially this season, is Scroggins' ability to hit the outside pitch. Early on in her career, she wasn't able to go with the outside pitch and hit it the opposite way, something she's done on a regular basis this year.
Ashley Monceaux was the same way her junior season, "and they wore her out," Moore said.
"She learned how over the summer of her senior year, and Jessie's done the same thing," he said. "They've continued to throw her outside, but most of her hits have been to the left side of the field and they've been hard-hit balls. She's just improved her game and taken away her weakness."
After starting out the year in the No. 3 spot, Scroggins was moved up to the leadoff spot "to create a little doubt in the pitcher's mind when we start the game because she's a tough out," Moore said.
"It's one thing to be a tough out when you're laying down bunts and beating them out," he said. "But, whenever you can hit balls off the wall, out of the park, line drives, you can be a scary hitter in that leadoff spot. And that's what she is."
Scroggins has also worked on her pitch selection, "taking advantage of the first two strikes," while being able to bunt and hit away. She hit her 11th career homer, but first one in four years at Getterman Stadium, in the Lady Bears' 7-5 win over Texas on May 5.
As the ball sailed over the left-field wall, just inside the foul pole, Scroggins started jumping up and down like a little kid at Christmas.
"She had been pitching inside all game, and I hadn't been getting my hands through," the senior outfielder said. "It was drifting, and I was like, 'Please keep going!' And it went over. So, I was really excited that it went over."
Since only six other players have hit at least .400 in the history of the program, "I hope people realize how special that is," Moore said of Walker and Scroggins both hitting well over .400. This would be the third straight year that the batting average record has been broken.
Not that Walker has noticed.
"Honestly, this year I haven't looked at the stats all year," she said. "So, I really have no idea what it looks like between me and Scroggs. I know she's having an awesome year, so congrats to her. I honestly haven't looked, I couldn't tell you."
Regardless, though, "if one gets a hit, the next one steps up and gets a hit, too," Moore said. "I don't know if they're competing against each other, challenging each other," he said. "They love each other and they're great teammates. So, it's a healthy competition, if there is one. But, it's pretty phenomenal."
DID YOU KNOW?
Scroggins was one of 79 Baylor student-athletes representing 17 sports programs that earned their degrees at last weekend's spring commencement ceremonies at the Ferrell Center. Along with softball teammates Shelby Fiudenberg and Caitlin Charlton, though, she was in Oklahoma City for the Big 12 Championship at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. FULL STORY
