‘She knows how to pitch’
Reynolds won’t get varsity baseball shot because of coronavirus
The snickering was inevitable.
After a brief stint as the starting varsity catcher for Belmont in her first and only season of softball in 2017, then-sophomore Katie Reynolds decided to go back to baseball, which she played her entire life as a pitcher. But when she took the mound each of the last two years for the junior varsity team with the boys, coach Matt Ruane sometimes noticed opponents getting a kick out of the girl pitching.
That is, until a couple innings later.
“Other teams might be laughing while she’s warming up and then, before you know it, she’s struck out the side,” Ruane said.
Perhaps the most headturning nature of Reynolds’ fit within the sport is its normalcy.
It was an easy decision for Reynolds to quit the softball team and try out for baseball — a sport predominantly made up of males — because of her passion for it. Ruane can’t even remember what initial reactions were to a female trying out because of how obvious it’s been that she belongs.
Teammates and Ruane didn’t label her as Katie Reynolds — the girl on the team. They labeled her as Katie Reynolds — the reliable No. 2 or No. 3 pitcher with a crafty and intelligent approach.
That’s exactly what she preferred.
“I missed pitching, I missed being on the mound,” Reynolds said. “I didn’t mind what team I was on, I just wanted to keep playing the sport I loved the most… I think I fit in really well with them. I’ve never had a problem fitting in with them.”
“She blended in beautifully,” Ruane added. “The fact that she held her own out there was enough for everyone to accept her.”
Getting Reynolds waived to play wasn’t difficult for athletic director Jim Davis, opening the door for her to earn her spot.
Ruane and varsity head coach Jim Brown both saw good work ethic and a positive example from her, gaining a lot of respect from them. Enough respect that Reynolds would’ve played a role for varsity this year, if not for COVID-19.
No female has reached varsity in the 20 years of Brown’s coaching at Belmont, and he believes she might have been first one in program history. Considering Reynolds is a senior, it adds a whole other layer of disappointment.
“I was really excited to be on the varsity team this year, I was so disappointed when we got that announcement that the whole season was gone,” Reynolds said. “I’ve been working towards playing with the varsity team for all of high school. It all just sort of crumbled.”
“She would’ve made it on her own merit,” Brown added. “It would’ve been great. It’s just a good story. She’s a great kid, she works hard. She’s the type a coach loves to coach. I was (excited), I definitely was. She has a terrific curveball, she’s very crafty, keeps the ball low and throws strikes. She knows how to pitch.”
The determination Reynolds exhibits isn’t only recognized by Belmont, which shines a light on her baseball future.
As a sophomore, Reynolds traveled to Cary, N.C., to participate in an open tryout for the USA Women’s National Baseball Team. Over 100 women of different ages showed up, and Reynolds made the final round of 40 in the trial run. She was one of 35 women selected to try out for the Pan American Games last year too, resulting in a rewarding experience she hopes to continue.
“I’ve always thought I was kind of alone in this, so just seeing 150 girls going to this open tryout, it was a really cool experience,” Reynolds said. “The next time there’s an open tryout, I’m definitely going to want to try out for that.”
Her efforts for Belmont earned Reynolds the Joseph McDermott Award this year, given to an outstanding athlete and person by the school.
If her USA tryouts are similar to her efforts in the Marauders baseball program, she has a good chance at earning a spot.