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Sara Austin knew the importance of a matchup against Pewamo-Westphalia when she stepped into the pitching circle for a doubleheader earlier this week.
And the Rambler senior pitcher made it a point to be locked in.
Austin was just that in a doubleheader where she had a 20 strikeout game and followed with 14 strikeouts in the finale as Perry picked up a pair of wins.
Those performances on April 14 have exemplified what Austin, who is signed to continue her career at Madonna, has done in the pitching circle so far this spring.
Austin, who was voted the One North LSJ high school athlete of the week, has been a dominant force for Perry in its strong start to the season.
"She's been lights out for us this season and super electric," Perry coach Kris Smith said. "You can't really talk about the success for Sara without talking about the hard work. There's no one that works harder at their craft than Sara Austin does. She has put in countless hours to get to the point that she is and I'm just thrilled for her and thrilled for Perry softball that it's kind of all coming together in her senior season, especially at the start here.
"She's just been electric. I think you can ask any coach that we've played and she's been unhittable."
After a doubleheader sweep of Portland St. Patrick on April 16, Austin owned a 7-0 mark in the circle with a 0.31 ERA and had struck out 114 of the 146 batters faced.
That success included throwing a six inning no-hitter against Stockbridge with 16 strikeouts in the opening game of a home tournament. She followed that with 18 strikeouts in a win over Springport.
"It's started out really well," Austn said of success. "I owe it all to my team and my coaches. They have put in so much work with hitting and the defense being behind me. I've been working out in the offseason quite a bit and that also has contributed. My coach has really been there for me but I could not do any of the wins without my team."
Austin acknowledged she has felt stronger this season and Smith believes that's played a role in her performance in the circle.
"She's just physically stronger than she's ever been," Smith said. "She made a commitment in the weight room this offseason and she's in there three, four, five times a week lifting and it's really paying off.. Her strength is good. She's always thrown this hard. She's a little more perfect with her pitching than she has been in the past. She just rarely misses a spot right now and when she's on she's really tough to hit."
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Contact Brian Calloway at [email protected]. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Sara Austin displaying early dominance in circle for Perry softball
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