WINSLOW — To say that Hillary Libby is “unfazed” by the situations she might face at any given point during a game isn’t really doing the Winslow High School pitcher any justice.
To suggest she is unfazed is to say that she simply doesn’t understand when a pressure situation presents itself. It would be much fairer to suggest that she is simply unflappable.
“I don’t really get stressed out about stuff,” said Libby, a senior. “I go out and focus on what I’m doing. If the bases are loaded, then I’m like, ‘OK, I really have to go strike three people out right now.'”
And it’s that quality that has Libby leading her teammates into the Class B North regional final Wednesday afternoon. The third-seeded Black Raiders (17-1) meet No. 4 Old Town (15-3) at Brewer High School at 3 p.m.
Libby has been a driving force for Winslow this season, though the lead topic of conversation is almost always the Black Raiders’ bats. Through 16 regular-season games, Winslow averaged a whopping 12 runs per game. But in the postseason, where runs are often much harder to come by, Libby’s performances have not been overshadowed.
Libby held Ellsworth to just four hits in a 5-3 regional quarterfinal victory, an effort she followed with another four-hit complete game outing in a 5-2 win over Medomak Valley in the semifinals Saturday afternoon.
Libby has 18 strikeouts in the last two games.
“She’s come a long, long ways. She struggled with strikes for years, and then she really got down to focusing this year,” Winslow coach Steve Bodge said. “I think she realized it’s her senior year and she had to do what she could for this team. She’s just had a great season.”
Perhaps Libby’s finest moment of these playoffs came in the fourth inning against Medomak.
After surrendering consecutive singles to open the frame in what was a 4-1 game at the time, a passed ball put runners at second and third with nobody out. The Panthers had the momentum swinging in their favor and were looking to rally toward their second consecutive upset in the tournament, having already knocked No. 2 Oceanside out of the playoffs.
But Libby, “unfazed” or “unflappable” — depending upon which side of the semantics argument you find yourself on — bore down. She induced a pop-up to catcher Kiana Richards on a bunt attempt and struck out the No. 8 batter in the lineup looking at a pitch over the inside corner. A walk loaded the bases for the top of the Medomak order, but Libby fanned left fielder Abby Nelson for the third time in as many at-bats, again looking at a fastball over the inside edge.
“My parents always say that I like to have a lot of pressure on me,” said Libby, who also hit a two-run home run in the game, her first career postseason homer. “We’ve had games before where I’ve loaded the bases and then struck three people out. Sometimes, the pressure helps me focus.”
Bodge was left looking for the right words.
“She doesn’t get fazed by anything. She’s got ice water in her veins,” Bodge said. “She was a goalie in soccer, and she got pounded there, but nothing bothers that kid. She takes it in stride.
“We had a little timeout (during the Medomak rally) and she spoke right up and said, ‘Guys, let’s just get the next one. We don’t want to make multiple mistakes in a row.’
“That was awesome.”
Now, the Raiders get a date with Old Town. The two teams did not meet in the regular season.
Winslow’s run to the regional final avoided two matchups the Raiders were looking forward to in Oceanside and Hermon. Oceanside, upset by Medomak, handed Winslow its only loss of the season May 9, and previously unbeaten Hermon was ousted by Old Town in the other half of the regional semis last weekend. Twice in previous years, Hermon bounced Winslow from the first round of the playoffs.
“For the senior class, it’s awesome for us,” Libby said of advancing to the regional finals. “For us to go this far, it’s crazy.”
Travis Barrett — 621-5621
tbarrett@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TBarrettGWC
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