Brittany Pickett's composure key in UNC softball's 3-0 shutout victory

Brittany Pickett stood on the mound at Anderson Stadium on Tuesday night facing a full count, one out and runners on first and second. 

It was the sixth and penultimate inning of the game between the North Carolina softball team and Longwood, and her Tar Heels (23-19, 11-4 ACC) were clinging to a precarious 1-0 lead. She stared down her catcher, wound up and delivered the pitch. Ball four.

Her head coach, Donna J. Papa, was livid with the call. “Come on, blue!” she yelled from just outside her dugout. “That’s ridiculous!”

But with the bases now loaded, Pickett stayed calm. She struck out the next batter on four pitches to record the second out and bring Jessica Smith to the plate for Longwood. A long, tense battle ensued that featured what felt like 50 foul balls with the count stuck at 2-2. Then, finally, Smith popped out to the shortstop to end the inning. Pickett had held strong and gotten out of the jam.

Just three batters later, first-year Sierra Parkinson delivered her first home run of the season—a two-run shot— to stretch UNC’s lead to three and put the game out of reach for the Lancers. For Pickett, it was a complete game shutout that marked her fourth consecutive win as UNC held on, 3-0.

“It felt really good,” Pickett said after the game. “I knew these two midweek games were going to be tough, and I know my pitch volume is increasing, so being able to put this one in our back pocket and roll with it is a good feeling.”

It should be noted that while Longwood University might not carry much name recognition among UNC fans, this was by no means considered an easy game for the Tar Heels. The Lancers sit second in the Big South Conference, and their record of 24-12 coming into the night looked significantly better on paper than UNC’s record of 22-19.

“They have some kids that can really swing it,” Papa said. “They’re one of the top two teams in their conference, and they have one of the top pitchers in the conference, so I knew that we were going to have a tough battle.”

A tough battle it was, and Pickett’s coach was full of praise for the sophomore who kept her cool in a dicey situation.

“Even when the calls were going against her she still maintained her poise and composure,” Papa said. “That was a tough inning, I thought she did a really nice job of getting the key outs, and she continues to impress me all the time. She’s tough and fights through a lot of stuff.”

Pickett, however, said it was just business as usual.

“I was just going at the batters regardless of what (the umpire) was calling,” she said. “I’ve been in that situation before, sometimes on the other side too with them scoring, so it was good to get out of that, but I didn’t feel any pressure. I’ve done it many times and I knew what I was capable of."

By the end of the night, Pickett had tallied seven strikeouts, bringing her total to 150 on the season. It was also her seventh complete game shutout of the year, two more than her tally from all of 2017.

Now, heading into the final stretch of the season, she says that the trust between her and her defense will be more important than ever.

“It really helps having a good defense behind me,” she said. “I can trust them, and towards the end of the season you’re getting tired more and more, but you’re still needed. So I think once you have trust with that your mindset is really wherever it wants to be, and mine is positive.”

@sam_jarden

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com