Time off motivates Serra pitcher
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Rebekah Pais isn’t a stranger to WPIAL competition. She just hasn’t faced it for a while.
Pais is a former East Allegheny player who transferred to Serra Catholic after her sophomore campaign. The WPIAL alleged her transfer to the Eagles was done with athletic intent and she had to sit out her junior year.
As a senior and Messiah College recruit, Pais is back in the circle and a big reason why Serra Catholic is rolling. The Eagles were 6-2 overall and 4-1 in Class 2A Section 1 heading into Friday. Pais was 5-1 with 72 strikeouts and a 1.85 ERA. She’s also a potent offensive threat, batting .500 with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs from the cleanup spot.
“I’ve been waiting so long,” said Pais. “To be on the field now just feels amazing.”
Pais was allowed to practice with her team last season and also played travel ball for the Pittsburgh Predators. She took last season’s ineligibility in stride, preferring to describe it more of a blessing in disguise.
“Everything was all in God’s plan and, although I did have to sit out a year, I definitely learned a lot and it was humbling,” said Pais. “It was a good experience, even though in the moment it wasn’t enjoyable.”
Moping on the bench wasn’t an option. Instead, Pais took a seat on a bucket of softballs each game, right next to coach Denny Willaman, who praised his team captain’s maturity.
“Last year, she busted her butt in practice and sat next to me on the bucket during games, so we really got to talk about the game,” said Willaman. “I know how much she has been chomping at the bit to get out there. Now, she’s the best captain I’ve ever had.”
Watching her team play without her opened Pais’ eyes. She throws five pitches in all, with a good curveball, dropball and riser among them. Armed with a deeper understanding of situational play, Pais has been able to combine that with her physical talent.
“It definitely gave me a new appreciation,” she said. “I never kept pitching stats and I charted every pitch by our team last year. It helped me learn how to set up a hitter.”
It has been a roller-coaster ride for Pais and her coach. Willaman felt her pain last year. Now, he’s enjoying her senior year and watching her continued growth as a player.
“It was pretty tough, moreso just to see her watch last year,” said Willaman. “It was difficult for me to watch her last year. I could just see on her face the emotion, how bad she wanted to be out there.
“It’s just been an awesome transformation. The girl pitching right now is not the same Rebekah Pais that everyone knew before.”
Penn-Trafford