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Playing Hardball

No Matter The Equipment, Tarpon Athlete Excels On Diamond

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: February 25, 2008

TARPON SPRINGS - TARPON SPRINGS - There may be no crying in baseball, as the manager portrayed by Tom Hanks declared in the movie "A League of Their Own," but there is certainly still room for the girls.

Tarpon Springs High softball standout Jen Hunter has proved throughout most of her young life that whether the ball is soft or hard, she is up to the task.

The starting shortstop for the Lady Spongers softball squad, Hunter began her career the way most youths do, on the Little League circuit. Only difference, she bypassed Little League softball, usually a female preserve, and took to the baseball field, where boys overwhelmingly predominate, instead.

Her presence on the Little League baseball diamond was no exercise in political correctness. She was not only able to handle the pitcher's duties – they usually go to the best player on a Little league roster – she threw a no-hitter.

Hunter remains equally impressive when on the softball field. She's one of those athletes who catches your eye the first time you see her make a play, whether you know what to look for or not.

It's her arm that most people comment on first. "Cannon," "hose," "rocket," whatever want to call it, the girl can throw – and hard. With the short basepaths of a softball diamond, that alone would be an indispensable asset for Tarpon Springs Coach Steve Plummer. But he said it is the entire package you get with the junior infielder that makes her a coach's dream.

"It's an absolute delight to coach her, she's a great player" Plummer said. "Her approach to the game is just phenomenal."

"Jen's a true leader. She leads by example, hustles all the time, is always the one asking for extra work at practice – all the things you're used to hearing about the great ones."

Only a junior, it seems college coaches have already realized those are attributes they desire on future rosters, too. Hunter's not only gaining looks from area universities, but Division I programs as far away as Michigan State have jumped in to express their interest.

"That's what I want to do in college," Hunter said, also referring to why she decided to concentrate solely on softball and academics during the school year. "I don't have any dream school. I'm just trying to get a scholarship from somewhere in Florida."

Aside from the college potential and being one of the leaders on a talented group of Spongers looking to make serious noise in Class 5A, District 9 play this season, what Plummer uses to describe his star player are also characteristics that have attracted other types of teams to Hunter throughout the years.

The most notable of these would have to be the USA Baseball Women's national team.

At age 15, Hunter was the youngest player selected to be part of the 2006 team that played in the World Cup hosted by Taiwan.

She is also one of 25 players invited to California this August to try out for the 18-woman 2008 roster.

Two years ago in Taiwan – she's still a pitcher in baseball – Hunter led the team's staff in innings pitched, tossed the squad's only complete game and went 2-0 in three starts.

Jim Glennie, director of player identification for the national team, said Hunter was recognized immediately for her physical abilities and is now considered a key veteran to Team USA.

"She's a very good athlete," Glennie said from Mason, Mich., where the American Women's Baseball Federation is based. "She has discipline, wants to win, learns well, and we're always looking for pitchers."

He said it was Hunters' arm strength and good pitch command that stood out right away, and, barring a freak occurrence, he expects her to be back for the team's trip to Japan for this year's World Cup.
"She's one of our stalwarts," Glennie said.

Until August rolls around though, Hunter said, her full focus is on the current task at hand: helping guide the Spongers and doing what she can to keep getting better.

Hunter also said that while some statistics can be nice – like her second ever softball home run early this year at East Lake – individual numbers have never dominated her concern.

"I don't really look at stats that much," she said. "I think that can really bring a player down. Sometimes numbers are a little misleading, anyway. I usually look at the end of the season to see how I was compared to last season and how I can improve myself next year."

As a team, the shortstop said this year's bunch has as good a chance as ever to make a run.

Only two Tarpon teams have ever pressed into regional playoff contention – in 2000 and 2004 – and Hunter said that is by far the ultimate goal for this year.

"We're always trying to make it into that final game in districts," she said. "We played East Lake and Palm Harbor, probably two of our toughest district games, and beat them both."

"Right now, we all think we can definitely do it."

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