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August 15, 2007

PH's Falkenberry to play at Butler

Rick Teverbaugh

There was a time when athletes were noticed by college coaches in one of two ways.

Either the high school coach sent tapes of the athlete or the college coach went to the prep games to view that player in person.

Today’s technology has improved upon that plan a bit.

So when Pendleton Heights’ slugging first baseman Erin Falkenberry wanted to catch the eye of colleges, she showed a little initiative.

“I sent my DVD to Butler and they sent me a letter back saying they were interested,” said Falkenberry. The end result of that interest is that Falkenberry has signed a letter of intent to go to Butler and play softball there for head coach Jeanne Rayman. “Coach (PH’s Scott) Hall spoke with them and they came to a practice of ours.”

Butler fit a lot of the parameters that Falkenberry wanted for her college.

“I wanted a college that was larger than my high school but not too big,” she said.

As a junior on the Arabians top-ranked team, Falkenberry led the team and the area in home runs and runs batted in and was second in hitting only to her teammate Becca Butler. She hit nine home runs and batted over .500.

“They told me they are impressed with my hitting,” said Falkenberry. “They will have two of their top hitters gone when I get there. They said I will compete at first base.”

“Butler will be getting one of the premier power hitters in the state,” said Hall. “She will definitely bolster their offense down there.”

She knows of one part of her game on which she is placing a lot emphasis in the offseason.

“I definitely need to work on my fielding,” she said. “I’m not comfortable with it yet. There have been times in the past when I haven’t played at that position.”

In college she knows that the pitchers will be better than high school. But she also knows that the mound is further back at that level, giving her more time to react to pitches. “This past summer I played in quite a few games where the pitcher worked from 43 feet,” said Falkenberry. “Every weekend I’ve been playing in tournaments with my travel team. I’m taking two or three weeks off right now, but I’ve just been playing to have fun. There’s really not been any pressure.”

Relieving the pressure is one of the reasons she decided to commit to college before her senior year begins. “I just wanted to get it over,” she said. “That way I can relax and not worry, if I have a bad game, who might have been there watching.”

With three seniors from the 2007 Arabian team moving on to NCAA Division I teams, Falkenberry understands a bit more might be expected from her in 2008.

“But we have a good group of players in my class,” she said. “I think we’re all going to step up our games. So I really won’t feel as much pressure as if I were the only senior.”

Falkenberry is undecided about her specific area of study at Butler but is confident it will be in the business realm.

“I am thrilled for Erin,” said Hall. “Butler was very high on her list of college choices. Erin has always put a high value on her academics and now she is going to be able to play D1 softball and while getting a great education. Another added bonus is that she will be close so we can go see her play. I am very happy for Erin and her family. She has worked very hard for this.”









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