Super Sophomore Brandi Crnkovic
9/3/2006 1:00:00 AM | Softball
By Cody Stark
Assistant Sports Editor
Like a lot of high school students, Brandi Crnkovic wasn't quite sure what she was going to do or where she was going to college during her senior year at Caldwell in 2005.
A multi-sport athlete for the Lady Hornets, Crnkovic was mulling over whether she wanted to take her prowess on the volleyball court or skills on the softball diamond to the next level.
Luckily for Sam Houston State, Crnkovic chose the latter and is a big reason the Bearkats are making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament today against Texas A&M in the College Station Regional.
“I had thought about playing volleyball in college too, but I really don't know what made me decide on softball,” the sophomore pitcher said. “I really liked coach (Bob) Brock and the way he coaches, so I wanted to come here. I like this school, the campus and everything.”
When Crnkovic arrived in Huntsville as a freshman last season, expectations were high for the Bearkats to make a run at a Southland Conference regular season and tournament championship after finishing as the runnerup in both in 2005.
But a critical finger injury to Crnkovic that limited her to only 15 appearances in the pitcher's circle, and other team issues left SHSU with only one legitimate pitcher for most of the season. The Kats failed to make the postseason.
Crnkovic never had much of a chance to adjust to the college game and finished the season with a 2-6 record and a 4.15 earned run average.
“I was really excited when I got here last year and couldn't wait to play,” she said. “Whenever I got hurt and had to sit out for half the season, it hurt really bad. So this summer, I worked hard to get back on track.”
When the season started back in February, Crnkovic was the only active pitcher with collegiate experience on the SHSU roster, and after a 7-11 nonconference start, the Bearkats weren't considered a real contender in the Southland.
But the nonconference record was smoke and mirrors because during that time Crnkovic was transforming into a formidable force. Her arm was getting used to the change in the distance between home plate and the circle from high school, and she picked up more velocity on her fastball to compliment a nasty changeup to go 19-11 in 2007.
“One of the things that people don't know is that she has gotten mentally tougher,” SHSU head coach Bob Brock said. “There are things that happen out there that in the past it might have bothered her. The toughness has just come out, and right now I think she is just getting better and better. You can't say enough about Brandi, especially the turnaround she has had since her injury.”
Crnkovic finished the conference season with a 12-6 record and a 1.76 ERA to help the Bearkats earn the No. 2 seed in the Southland tournament last weekend.
She was brilliant in the postseason, going a perfect 3-0 with a save thanks to 21 scoreless innings and 24 strikeouts on the way to being named the tournament's most valuable player while propelling SHSU into the NCAA Tournament.
“At the beginning of the year it still felt like my freshman year because I struggled,” Crnkovic said. “Then last weekend I just decided it was time to grow up and pitched the best I could. I finally got used to the distance, got my movements down and gained a lot of confidence.”
With Crnkovic, freshman pitcher Morgan Mikulin and a host of clutch players up and down the lineup that have come through at different times this season, the Bearkats hope to continue to make some noise this weekend.
