Jordan McAlpine
SPORTS EDITOR
Kamryn Meyer’s 2022 season can simply be described in one word — dominant. The junior pitcher is 19-6 on the season with 232 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA.
The Mavericks’ ace ranks second in the country with 12.4 strikeouts per seven innings, ninth in total strikeouts and fourth in shutouts with nine.
“The biggest thing has been just trusting my defense and them having trust in me,” Meyer said of her success. “But I’ve also been trusting my offense is going to score me some runs. The coaches have enough trust in me to allow me to just go out there and do what I do.”
At times this season, it’s seemed as if Meyer has rewritten the Omaha softball record book. She set the program’s single-game strikeout record (18) on April 15 and turned around and one-upped it eight days later against South Dakota with 19.
That start capped off Meyer’s second straight Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor and her fifth honor of the season. She’s also closing in on the single-season strikeout record.
The Wilton, Iowa, native said the honors are something she doesn’t take lightly. But at the same time, she defers a lot of the credit to her teammates and those around her.
“It’s been a lot of fun watching each other compete and pushing each other to be better,” Meyer said. “But we’re also out there supporting each other and we have a special group. I know I will always have their back whenever they’re on the field and I know they’re always going to have mine when I’m out there.”
There’s also no downplaying the year Meyer has had individually. After finishing last season 10-8 with a 3.18 ERA and 166 strikeouts, Meyer has hit her stride as a junior. She said she’s spinning the ball a lot better this season and has settled into a rhythm. She’s at 131 innings on the season, both as a starter and in relief, and her confidence has only grown because of it.
She’s also not afraid to be aggressive and has tried to go right after hitters, which has been evident when she’s in the circle.
“I can feel the confidence when I’m out on that field and my teammates know that I want to be out there and I want to be in control of the game,” Meyer said. “I think that is probably one of my strong suits and also something that I’ve really worked on this year.
“But also, being mentally tougher. When I get in those situations with bases loaded or runners on second or third, I’ve found myself to not get so tense and press as much as I have done in the past. So, I think that’s definitely where I’ve grown most as a player.”
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Mavericks (23-12) are 12-4 in Summit League play, which is good for second in the conference.
“I like where we are now and I think we’re playing our best ball,” Meyer said. “The pitchers are all doing a great job and I think our hitters are finally finding their own and stringing together hits and scoring a lot of runs.
“But I think just going into these last two series we’re just going to clean up key things and just keep working towards the end of the season and preparing for the conference tournament.”
