In the Dugout with Charlotte Morgan
3/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 30, 2009
Many collegiate softball players would like to be classified as an elite athlete, but few know what it takes to actually be one. Possessing the necessary talents that are required of the sport is a must, but anyone relying on their talents alone will find that more is required.
Charlotte Morgan is equipped with the necessities, such as power and vision at the plate and focus in the circle. Combine those skills with a work ethic that was instilled by her father at a young age and an intimate knowledge of the game, and you have the makings of a special type of player.
"A lot of kids nowadays don't really understand all the hard work that's put into it to be good," Morgan said. "A lot of kids expect it, or want their talent to ride them out. I thought my talent could keep me, and then it started catching up to me."
That is until her father, Chris Morgan, took steps to insure that his daughter would not come to rely on talents alone, and instead put in the work that it takes to be great.
"We ended up moving to this house where my dad was able to put a batting cage up," Morgan said. "We were able to work every day. If I had an issue with my swing we would go in the back yard and work it out. It was always an adjustment and I never stayed with one swing."
Even after a sophomore year that saw Morgan become arguably the best two-way player in the country as she was the only player to rank in the top 30 nationally in batting average (.429), home runs (19) and ERA (1.27), the Moreno Valley, Calif. native was still looking to improve on a season that many would have settled for.
To help her figure out what she could possibly improve with her swing, Morgan called on Alabama's all-time leader in batting average, hits, home runs and RBI, Kelly Kretschman, to see exactly what might be holding her back from realizing her potential at the plate.
After Kretschman watched Morgan swing the bat in this year's opening weekend, the two later shared their thoughts on hitting philosophies with Morgan's father over dinner and came up with a solution.
"Kretschman told me to slow my swing down and to think middle to opposite, even on that inside pitch," Morgan said. "My dad told me to keep my hands on top of every ball that I hit."
By combining the advice Morgan says that she is now able to focus more on hitting the ball hard and hitting more line drives.
"On top of Kretschman and I doing middle to opposite, I am also thinking line drive on every swing," Morgan said. "If I hit hard line drives then the home runs are going to come. It was all three of us together that helped me break my swing down and not try to make it this huge thing."
Obviously the combination of advice is paying off. Morgan put together a 17-game hitting streak and leads the team in RBI with 30, despite having to deal with a nagging foot injury. The injury, however, is just more motivation and reason to persevere and somehow get better.
"I finally have come to face the fact that I'm not ever going to be 100 percent," Morgan said of the injury. "Getting that mentality of staying positive through it has helped me because all I think about is what I can do for the team and how I can contribute."
Morgan knows that every athlete goes through pains and weaknesses and that is just something that must be dealt with, but you will not find her using it as an excuse.
"Once I realized that it's not going away and I can't use it as an excuse of not wanting to work, that has helped me a lot to see that you have to give it your all and put everything you have into it," Morgan said. "That's what an elite athlete does and that's what champions do."
