 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, November 11, 1999
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eureka Senior Is Named MVP In Softball
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Jeremy Rutherford
Of The Post-Dispatch
Brad Wallach couldn't wait until his daughter, Melanie, played for his softball team at Eureka High.
Wallach had worked with 'Mel' ever since she picked up a ball and, being a judge of talent at the high school level, knew that she could do more than just contribute. So for her freshman year at Eureka, the younger Wallach was moved to the varsity team.
"It wasn't a difficult decision because Mel was a good enough athlete," the coach said. "That wasn't a gray area at all. She earned a spot in the lineup."
This season, after waiting her turn as Eureka's top pitcher, Wallach posted perhaps the most balanced season of any player in the area to earn the Post-Dispatch player of the year award. Wallach produced a record of 29-3 with a 0.51 earned-run average, striking out 214 batters in 218 innings pitched.
At the plate, she batted .400 with six doubles, three triples, three home runs,
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
those early years, faced easy opponents and that gave her a better chance to be successful. So, she was lucky to have that luxury and I think it helped her
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
gain some confidence."
Wallach finished her career 48-10 with a 0.64 ERA and 19 shutouts. She struck out 425 batters and walked 70.
Wallach helped guide Eureka back to the postseason for the first time since she was a freshman.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25 runs batted in and 18 stolen bases.
Those numbers weren't always possible during her first three seasons when Wallach backed up pitcher Lindsay Foster. Foster, who is playing at Fresno State University, recorded 28 wins and 373 strikeouts in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Melanie Wallach
Record: 29-3
ERA: 0.51
Batting average: .400
RBIs: 25
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
her first two years at Eureka.
"It wasn't really a competition ... I looked up to Lindsay," Wallach said. "She was kind of a role model to me. And my freshmen year, I don't think that I deserved the chance to pitch."
But both father and daughter realize that it wasn't lost time. In fact, they each credit the situation for Melanie's success.
"I would watch Lindsay and how hard she worked. Even when we didn't have practice she would stay after school and work. If you want to be a good pitcher, you have to do that."
Coach Wallach said that he had no choice but to throw Foster into the fire when she came to the program. Wallach, however, had time to grow up pitching behind Foster.
"It was a plus," he said. "Melanie, in
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The team finished third, after a 1-0 win over Jefferson City in which Wallach threw a one-hitter.
"Mel just came out stronger and more mature this season," her father said.
The most notable improvement was at the plate, where Wallach lifted her average from .321 last year.
"It's weird because I always concentrated on my hitting until this year," she said.
And now it will be weird next year when Wallach leaves for college. She is expected to sign a letter of intent next week with the University of Kansas.
"It'll be tough," said the elder Wallach, who is also Melanie's English teacher this semester. "But we're losing five talented seniors, so I think I'll be so busy trying to put the puzzle back together that I won't have time to think about it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|