Berkowitz: From the circle to the outfield
Softball star rebuilds herself in journey back to university
BUTTE VALLEY >> The softball journey of former Paradise high school standout pitcher Savannah Berkowitz will now take her to Southern Oregon.
But the reinvigorated and rebuilt Berkowitz will be going as an outfielder.
The Butte College standout signed a letter of intent Monday at Butte College to play at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.
It’ll be Berkowitz’s fourth star stop in her collegiate career, but one that she’s ready for.
“I have been to a few different programs now and I see how different they are,” she said. “But it’s good, I feel more prepared now because I do have a better idea of the expectations.:.
Right after she left Paradise High School Berkowitz signed to go play at Fresno State, where she played a little bit, but illness caused her to leave.
Next stop was Saint Mary’s College were once again illness sidelined her when she lost weight and some velocity.
Despite the loss in velocity that made her an elite Division I pitcher, she continued to work for a place in softball, returning to Butte College college to for head coach Stayce York.
In her time with the Roadrunners, Berkowitz showed that she was more than just a pitcher, she had the athletic ability to hit and play the outfield.
“I was that pitcher and what I was known for, but in the last year or two I have developed as an outfielder and hitter,” she said. “I made my way up from eighth in the lineup to the three or four spot. It’s just a different part of my journey.”
She said losing velocity — from 67 mph to 54-55 — was traumatic for her.
“I was struggling in my mechanics with pitching and didn’t have the right guidance unfortunately, “she said. “So it was a struggle for a while, I did lose some faith but I kept fighting and made the decision to come to Butte.”
That decision, she said, was the best one she could have made, allowing her to find herself “in a different light.”
Along with that, there was no pressure on her to be anything.
“(Butte Coaches) gave me the ability to flourish without all of the pressure that I have to pitch,” she said. “It gave me the ability to just let go of the past and focus on this new journey that I was on.”
She said she was always told she was just a pitcher, but she always felt that she was more than that.
“Coming here I found that I proved to myself time and time again that I wasn’t just a pitcher,” she said. “I always thought I had that athletic side of me and I never was allowed to bring that out. So coming here, it brought the best out of me.”
The best is what Southern Oregon hopes to get. They also get a player whose journey has helped her grow up over the years.
“I feel like I grew up a lot,” Berkowitz said. “I feel like I had to go away to grow up, to experience life and college on my own.”
Now after two years, back with family, rebuilding her softball career, she is ready for the next chapter.