No hop, just heat
Andrew’s Claire Hester following her sister as Thunderbolts’ ace
Just like her big sister Kathleen, Andrew pitcher Clare Hester has a fastball that hits the catcher’s mitt and makes a loud pop.
She’s very unlike her big sister, however, after she throws strike three.
Something is missing. “Ha-ha … The Hester Hop,” Clare said, laughing. “Yeah, that hop is more Kathleen’s thing. I’m definitely more likely to just give a smile.”
And on that note, the junior right-hander is settling in quite nicely as one of the leaders for the Thunderbolts with both her arm and bat.
In eight pitching appearances, Hester (5-1) has 27 strikeouts in 34 innings. On offense, she’s hitting .333 with four runs, two home runs and nine RBIs for Andrew (9-1-1).
There is plenty to smile about too.
“It feels pretty good because in past years I watched Kathleen obviously be the ace,” Clare said. “I learned a lot from her. You could really tell her passion for the game just watching her pitch.
“She worked so hard, and that really motivated me. And seeing her work pay off was a real inspiration for me. Now, I’m glad to be able to fill her shoes.”
Kathleen Hester was the ace of Andrew’s pitching staff for three seasons. As a senior, she had 178 strikeouts in 121 innings and posted a 2.25 ERA. For her career, she had 445 strikeouts.
At Bowdoin, Hester already has three wins, with a team-best 29 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.
Back at Andrew, senior catcher Madison Vrastil said the difference between the siblings is subtle.
“Clare is a little bit harder on herself because she wants to be perfect all the time,” Vrastil said. “Kathleen would say, whatever, and just bounce back. But I like that Clare can have the discipline to be perfect.”