Blazing fastball, tenacity make Nealer dominant

Published 9:00 pm Friday, June 1, 2001

Jackson pitcher is The Herald’s All-Area Softball Player of Year

By John McDonald

Prep Editor

MILL CREEK — In the year of the pitcher, Jackson’s Amanda Nealer shone just a little brighter than all the other stars.

With her four no-hitters, including one in the first round of the state playoffs, and her miniscule 0.26 earned run average, Nealer has been named The Herald’s all-area softball player of the year.

"She’s amazing," said Everett coach Kyle Peacock, whose team finished in a second-place tie behind Jackson in the Western Conference 3A.

"Even at state we didn’t see a pitcher that threw with her velocity. She’s the fastest I’ve seen in two years and her control is amazing. It’s frustrating to play against her and know you’re not going to get a lot of hits. But it’s fun to watch her pitch. She’s in total control of her game."

The senior left-hander was 20-6 this season for the Timberwolves, leading Jackson to a fourth-place finish in the state tournament and capping a four-year career in which she was 80-18. She allowed just 69 hits in 173 innings and struck out 249 batters while walking just 21.

"She has amazing movement on her pitches," Jackson coach Ron Sidenquist said. "And this was the first year she’s had a really solid changeup. She’s always had a great screwball, which breaks away from right-handed hitters."

Sidenquist said Nealer, who will play next season for Florida International in Miami on a softball scholarship, can throw 60 miles per hour. And the softball pitcher’s mound is only 40 feet from home plate. That’s the equivalent of about a 100 mph fastball in baseball.

Sidenquist said he had to put the strength of his defense on the right side of the infield because batters had a hard time getting around on Nealer and rarely pulled a pitch. He said some batters even had a hard time getting around in time to bunt against her.

Nealer said she generates her velocity with arm speed and wrist snap. She said she doesn’t even use her legs. So she potentially could throw even faster.

The 17-year-old began pitching at 11 1/2 and said her development has been the end result of a lot of hard work. She said she practiced pitching an hour and a half a day every day for the first three years.

"I was always considered the No. 3 pitcher and had to work my way up to No. 1," Nealer said. "It seems like it has been that way on every team I’ve played for. But I moved up to No. 1 because I worked hard.

"I didn’t care if I was No. 1 or No. 3, but just to get playing time, you have to be No. 1. I always worked hard so I’d get the chance to play."

"Her competitive sense is really quite developed," Sidenquist said. "The second day of the state tournament I went out to the mound and said, "It’s pretty exciting out here.’ and she said, "Boy, I love this!’ "

Sidenquist doesn’t profess to be a pitching coach, but he does think he has helped Nealer learn how to focus on the mound.

"I can’t tell you how many times this season she came back from being behind in the count to get a strikeout or weak ground out," he said. "Not a lot bothers her."

Nealer batted for herself this season and hit .333 (24-for-72) with 12 runs batted in. But she wasn’t allowed to run the bases for fear of injury.

"She could play outfield, too, if she wanted to," Sidenquist said.

Nealer said her main regret was not winning the state championship and being named the player of the year came as a surprise to her.

"I had a lot of help from my team," she said. "Their confidence in the way they played made me look good."

That and a blazing fastball.