Northwestern lacrosse has been stellar as usual, women’s tennis has won seven of its last eight matches and men’s golf took the Northwestern Spring Invitational title by 12 strokes. But as of late, no 'Cat has been on more of a hot streak than Amy Letourneau, sophomore pitcher for the softball team.
The right-hander was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection last season, high honors for a freshman. She boasted a 13-10 record and, along with then-junior Meghan Lamberth, formed a potent pitching duo for the Wildcats. On the other side of the plate, her hitting improved throughout the season, culminating in a .348 batting average in conference play.
After such an impressive rookie campaign, expectations were high coming into this season, and she’s doing exactly what’s expected of an emerging star: improving with every game. Her play in the last three weeks has been off the charts, tossing two no-hitters (the first of her career) for an 8-2 record and picking up a save for good measure. Letourneau’s performance earned her her second Big Ten Player of the Week Award on Monday, along with the USA Softball National College Player of the Week Award back on April 2.
Still, her success isn’t limited to her work on the mound. Just like her freshman year, conference play has brought out the best of her bat. During the same 24-day stretch, she's hit .568 with six home runs and 21 RBI, frustrating opposing pitchers just as much as the hitters she strikes out.
Despite turning away high-profile offers from Stanford and Notre Dame, Letourneau's decision to be a Wildcat certainly looks good now. With a 17-9 record and a 2.23 ERA this season, helping her team cruise to a 25-16 record, Letourneau is on her way to an outstanding season of pitching.
Letourneau's non-conference performance was certainly noteworthy, but her play was elevated to new heights in a home opener on March 29. She dominated Minnesota for her first career no-hitter, the 45th in Wildcat history, striking out 11 Gophers en route to a performance for the record books.
“I never thought I would throw one,” she said. “I just go out there and I throw and I want to win. [Assistant coach Courtnay Foster] has really helped me to get more spin on my ball and get more movement, so it’s all to her and our defense. Our defense played awesome.”
She wasn’t done there. If there was any possible room for improvement, it came from the 11 base runners she allowed in the game, which resulted in two runs for Minnesota. Any problems with her control were taken care of when she went up against Illinois just a week later.
She took care of the Illini by no-hitting them in just five innings before the Wildcats secured the 8-0 run-rule victory on April 5, just eight days after her first career no-no. For someone who never expected to throw one at all, she didn’t seem too surprised.
“I think that I’ve been throwing well all season. I think my ball’s moving really well,” Letourneau said. “Just knowing that [junior catcher Paige Tonz] is working awesome behind the plate, and knowing that having confidence in myself and in the team in going really far.”
Letourneau leads the team in batting with a .524 average, making her Northwestern's No. 1 pitcher as well as a heart-of-the-order hitter. While she suffered some initial inconsistency at the plate this season, she says that she never worried about it and just tried to stay confident.
“I love hitting. I’ve always loved it. I struggled in the beginning of the year, but I never worried about it. I work hard with [associate head coach Caryl Drohan] and I just have had a really strong mental game hitting recently.”
It’s all about confidence for Letourneau and for the whole team. Northwestern has shown that even after struggling through several scoreless innings, one hit can lead to a barrage of runs. It’s a mental game, and the Wildcats definitely prove that with their play. That’s the key for Letourneau.
“I think I just keep playing with confidence. Confidence is huge in this game,” she said. “I just go out there knowing that I can do it.”
At this rate of improvement, it’s anyone’s guess what “it” will be in Letourneau’s future.