KARNS CITY, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Addison Burrows goes through the Karns City lineup in her head, letting out a “hmm” here and a “umm” there.
She’s trying to figure out which of her teammates she would least like to pitch to and she’s having trouble picking one.
Because they are all so darn deadly.
“That’s a good question,” she says, letting out a soft chuckle. “I wouldn’t want to pitch against us. I would be scared for my life. There’s no break.”
Burrows is one of those hitters in the stacked Gremlins’ lineup. As a pitcher, she appreciates the run support.
Last year, she needed lots of it. This year, with a renewed approach — both mentally and physically — she hasn’t needed as much firepower for a Karns City softball team that has dreams of winning the District 9 Class 3A championship again.
Burrows may be the biggest key to that pursuit.
Last year, Burrows had her moments, but also struggled with an ERA close to 9.00 and 38 walks and 48 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched as Karns City couldn’t defend its Class 3A district crown.
This year, her numbers in the circle have improved markedly.
She’s cut her ERA in half and has fanned 19 in 23 innings pitched.
Shoulder woes at the end of the last season may have contributed to her rebirth as a pitcher.
“I had shoulder issues, and they just weren’t going away,” Burrows said. “They kept coming back. So I saw an ortho, and I had a sprained labrum and was out for eight to nine weeks. No pitching. No throwing. Nothing. It was probably one of the biggest setbacks I’ve had because pitching, you have to keep doing it and practicing it. You have to pitch three days a week to stay in tune.”
But the rest did her some good. It allowed the sophomore to refocus and work on her craft.
She tinkered with what pitches she threw. Burrows relied a great deal on a curveball, but that also put a great deal of stress on her shoulder.
“If I was up 0-2 on someone, that was my go-to thing,” Burrows said. “I kind of lost that. That’s coming back slowly.”
Burrows, though, found other pitches and other ways to get people out. Now, she believes, she’s more of a complete pitcher.
There’s nothing wrong with her bat.
Burrows hit .492 with eight doubles and a triple. She also knocked in 12 hitting in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
She’s off to a torrid start this season, too.
In the last two games she is batting .500 with two doubles, a home run, four runs scored, and four RBIs.
Burrows hit her first career home run on March 27 against Redbank Valley.
“It was exciting,” she said. “All I could think about was getting around the bases and celebrating with my teammates.”
Burrows has been playing softball since she can remember. She first swung a bat, she said, when she was four and the sport has been her passion.
She also played another sport in her younger days that taught her a lot about competing and getting up when knocked down — literally.
Football.
Burrows was the starting quarterback and defensive end for the Senior team in the East Brady Youth Football league in 2019.
“It was fun. I wouldn’t change a thing about it,” Burrows said. “I’m glad it’s over, though. Bumps and bruises, that sort of thing. That wasn’t fun to deal with.
“Football and softball are both similar mentally because as a pitcher, the name of the game is stopping the other team from scoring and at the plate, it’s about scoring for your team,” she added. “It’s also a game of failure. You are gonna fail. That’s kind of how softball works, too. In football, you can throw an interception that completely changes the momentum of the game. In softball, you make an error in the field, it completely changes the momentum of the game.”
Burrows is only a softball player now — it’s what she wants to do at the next level.
And she has poured herself into the game.
She played for the Silver Creek travel team and plays just about the entire year.
The biggest things she works on now is her mentality on the field.
“My confidence. That’s something I’ve always lacked,” Burrows said. “This year is probably the best season I’ve had when it comes to that. I would like to keep building off of that. Body language is everything. One person’s body language trickles down to everyone else. So when there are times I am struggling in an inning, I always try to be positive toward my teammates, encouraging, because there is nothing more important than being a good teammates.”
One thing Burrows is satisfied with is her swing.
“I’m trusting it right now,” she said. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t stay within myself. I think about hitting home runs or doing too much. It’s hard to stay within yourself, but I’ve been able to do it better. In those high-pressure moments, it’s hard not to think sometimes. If you think, it’s just going to go down hill.”
So Burrows turns off her mind and marvels at all the talent in the Karns City lineup.
Grateful she doesn’t have to face it.
“One through nine — it’s impressive,” she said. “All of us have beautiful swings. Hopefully we can do big things this year because there is no bond like the bond you have with your teammates, having best friends on the team that you look forward to playing with every game. Nothing compares.”
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