After struggling through some rough patches early in the season, it seems freshman Rebecca Patton has put the pieces together.
With her 3.02 ERA and (8-4) record, the freshman is arguably the best pitcher on the team. Although she was in high school just a year ago, she is making the first-year transition look easy.
But it didn’t always look that way.
Patton held a 0.59 ERA and (24-7) record in her senior season at Granada Hills high school, but once she got to Cal Poly, Patton struggled in her first pitching performance. In her collegiate debut against then-ranked No. 4 UCLA at the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Invitational Feb. 19, she allowed seven earned runs in 4 2/3 innings and went 1-4 during the rest of the non-conference portion of the season.
Patton said her struggles made it harder to keep her head up.
“I never doubted my team,” Patton said at Monday’s press conference. “There was a time when I really didn’t believe in myself — that’s when I struggled the most.”
But when the conference schedule started, she found her rhythm.
It all started against UC Riverside. In the second game of the Mustangs conference-opening series, Patton pitched a complete game — allowing three hits and two earned runs.
“I (felt) like I did pretty well,” Patton said. “The experience I have been getting in every game has helped me get better.”
Her second conference start yielded the same result. The next weekend, against UC Santa Barbara she pitched another complete game — allowing only two earned runs.
From there it was a domino effect — Patton caught fire. Game after game, Patton struck out batter after batter en route to an undefeated record in the Big West. Patton now has two Big West Pitcher of the Week awards, a seven-game winning streak and an ERA that ranks fifth in the Big West to hang her hat on.
“I have gotten more confident and I am trusting myself and my pitches more and I think that is what is leading to my success now, “ Patton said.
Her success is reflecting in the Mustangs’ recent success. She has helped her team rebound from an eight-game losing streak to victors of nine of its last 11 games.
“Rebecca has done a great job for us,” head coach Jenny Condon said at Monday’s press conference. “She throws (her pitches) the best she can, to the spot she is supposed to and for the most part she has had great pinpoint precession.”
It is almost expected from someone who has been playing softball since she was 5 years old. Growing up, softball was huge for Patton. She said her most memorable championship was taking nationals when she was 14 with the team she had played with for five years. Patton said when she’s too focused on the work of softball she goes back to that experience to find the fun in playing. She said the majority of her time is dedicated to the game she loves.
“Softball is my life,” Patton said.
The Mustangs will look to use the freshman’s success against Cal State Northridge (24-20, 8-4 Big West), in a series that will likley decide the top dog in the Big West coming out of the weekend. Northridge is in second place in the conference, one game behind the Mustangs.
“We talk about it day in and day out, in this conference, anybody can win,” Condon said. “It just depends who shows up and who fights the hardest.”
The Mustangs will have three more series to hold onto their lead atop the conference. Thanks to Patton, the goal of a conference championship is quite realistic. A title was something that looked near impossible after the eight-game losing stretch in the middle of the season. But even thought the Mustangs are in first place now, they can’t ease up on the effort down the stretch.
“If we work hard, we can pull through,” Patton said.
With the championship in sight, Patton continues to work hard to continue her recent success. But even in the midst of all the winning streaks and headlines, she doesn’t forget to stop and take in all the emotions. So far, Cal Poly has been an experience that Patton cherishes.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Patton said. “It’s been definitely been a really great experience I never would have imagined anything like this. Just playing with the team and the girls — it’s just fun. I have never experienced anything like it.”
— Brian De Los Santos and Rhiannon Montgomery contributed to this article.