Pitcher is a double threat for Big Lake

Heading into this week, Big Lake's softball team was a perfect 9-0 thanks in large part to senior pitcher Chelsea Erickson. She's helped the Hornets yield only eight runs in those nine games and is a force at the plate as well. In a 13-2 rout of Zimmerman last Monday, Erickson belted a pair of two-run home runs. While getting ready for this week's slate of games, Erickson found time to talk with the Star Tribune's Brian Stensaas.

Q I'm guessing you're happy with the way things have been going so far?

A Yeah, things have been going great. Our team is working hard. We only lost one player from last year, actually, so most of us have been playing together since like fifth grade. It's great to see us all progress. It's awesome.

Q How exactly have you seen this team progress over the last few years?

A The experience has helped so much. Our freshman year, we had a lot of troubles with communication. And throughout the years, that's gotten so much better. We know how to talk [and] communicate with each other better. And that's really been the key in our careers.

Q What is it about the offensive output so far?

A Our coaches making us stick to the tee. I swear, they make us hit like 50 balls off the tee every day before we can ever go into the cage. And that helps us with our swing. For the first time, too, we've videotaped our swings this year. So we can go back and look at what we're doing wrong with that.

Q You've only given up eight runs so far. Did you ever think it would be this good?

A No. You can't go into a season thinking you'll give up so few runs. That's pretty great. It's amazing. Our defense has had a lot of hard ground balls hit at them and they've done so well.

Q And the pitching has been a big part of that, too I'm guessing?

A Yeah, I guess. [Laughs]

Q You had a pair of home runs against Zimmerman last week. How did that feel?

A It was kind of weird. I got up to the plate the first time and I kind of had this nervous, butterfly thing going on. I knew something was going to happen. And I got a good pitch and went with it to right-center. The second one was the same thing. I was looking for a good pitch and just swung at it.

Q All 13 of your team's runs came in one inning that game. Can that be tough to sit through as a pitcher?

A Yeah, your arm gets a little cold. It's hard to stay warm during long innings. It's great to see the team hitting. But the downfall is that your defense might lose a little bit of focus. But that's about it.

Q Is it fun having a younger sister on the team?

A Yes. We have a really rare connection you don't see a lot, because she is my catcher. We're on the same page with everything. It's a great experience.

Q You guys ever argue about which pitches should be thrown?

A Every once and a while. But I trust her, because she is a great catcher.

Q What are you and the other seniors hoping to teach this year's underclassmen?

A I really hope they learn a lot about team camaraderie. It's a big part of being a true team player and it helps out so much for the long run.