Anna Pritchett’s approach to playing left field is easier to explain than to execute.
To her credit, the former Greenwood player has spent the past five-plus weeks making the latter seem routine, too.
Pritchett, a freshman starter at Marian University, has already horizontally extended her 5-foot-3 frame a number of times to snag what first appeared to be uncatchable fly balls off the bats of opposing players.
Her defensive ability has been a critical component for the Knights, who at 27-1 find themselves ranked among the top NAIA teams in the nation.
“I saw Anna play quite a bit in travel softball while she was in high school, and thought she could have an opportunity to come in and contribute right away,” said Marian coach Scott Fleming, now in his 20th season. “She’s a hard-nosed kid, competitive, a hard worker and an excellent student.
“We start two freshmen and a sophomore in the outfield. And I’ll tell you, Anna has made some really outstanding defensive plays.”
Her most recent darned near went national.
During a home victory over Taylor last week in the second game of a doubleheader, Pritchett reacted immediately in attempting to chase down a fifth-inning fly ball that had been air-mailed well left of the foul stripe.
Putting every bit of her speed and instincts to work, she fearlessly dove to make the catch, the impact with the ground ridding the freshman of her visor.
So impressive was the sequence that Mitch Huppert, assistant athletic director for communications at Marian, sent video of the catch to ESPN with hopes it would make its way into the network’s daily top 10 list.
The fact that it didn’t can’t take away from Pritchett’s defensive gem.
“My mindset going into the season was just to do what I’ve always done, which is contribute the skills I have to benefit the team,” Pritchett said. “I knew I was fast, and I love playing defense.
“There’s a lot of strategy to playing outfield, so my goal is to catch every ball hit toward me. Don’t let anything drop.”
In addition to her fielding exploits, Pritchett — who hits ninth in Fleming’s lineup — is batting .267 with a .323 on-base percentage and five stolen bases in as many attempts.
Her skills are utilized mostly to slap the ball in order to advance runners or get on base herself so that senior leadoff Savannah Harweger can do her thing.
“We have Anna in the 9 spot as kind of a second leadoff hitter,” Fleming said. “She’s able to bunt it, able to slap it, and she has some pop in her bat, too.”
It’s something of an adjustment for Pritchett, who usually led off or hit second as a high school player. However, she’s embraced the role.
“The goal of a slapper is to have a lot of ways to get on base,” Pritchett said. “Really, it’s important for me to be in that position and turn the lineup around.”
Marian’s first game of the season resulted in a 2-1 loss at Indiana Tech; the Knights have been a runaway train ever since, sidestepping the occasional weather postponement while constructing their 27-game win streak.
At the plate, Pritchett is making her presence known. In the field, she’s going viral.
At the end of the day, it’s about walking away saying I caught everything I possibly could,” she said.
