JUCO softball ace bolsters South Carolina pitching
The South Carolina softball team reloaded at pitcher this year, thanks to a junior college transfer known affectionately as Jake.
You’ll find her in the box score as Jessica Elliott, and she’s earned five of the Gamecocks’ wins in their 8-1 start to the 2016 season. Her teammates and coaches have quickly embraced the nickname that’s followed her since elementary school.
“It started in kindergarten,” Elliott said. “The girls couldn’t pronounce Jessica. My dad shortened it to Jake.”
USC coach Beverly Smith, a fan of nicknames, expects to call on Elliott quite a bit.
The transfer from Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., was a junior college All-American, the national pitcher of the year and led the Indians to a national championship. She was 21-5 as a sophomore with a 0.80 ERA.
Now at South Carolina, Elliott and returning starter Nickie Blue provide a one-two punch in the circle for the Gamecocks.
“You’ve got to have horses on the mound, and I really believe I’ve got two,” Smith said. “She’s a critical piece for us. Just her and Nickie working in combination together, they’re really tough.”
The two complement each other in styles. Elliott is more of a rise-ball pitcher, where a softball climbs as it nears the plate and becomes more difficult to hit. Blue is a hard-throwing drop-ball pitcher, which generates a lower trajectory and produces more ground-outs.
They’ve split the workload so far, with both often appearing in the same game. Blue has 28 innings to Elliott’s 23.2. Elliott has five starts and is 5-0 with one save to go with a 0.89 ERA, 15 strikeouts and eight walks.
In six of nine games, one started and the other came in to relieve.
“I think we really like that,” Elliott said. “It saves our arms a little bit. We work well, the two of us.”
Elliott, originally from Orlando, Fla., actually pitched against the Gamecocks during a fall game while at Chipola College. With USC losing starter Julie Sarratt to graduation after last season, Elliott chose South Carolina over Missouri, Mississippi State and Purdue.
“I wanted to go somewhere they could use an extra arm and really make an impact,” she said.
Next game
South Carolina wraps up a homestand at 5 p.m. Tuesday with a game against Coastal Carolina.
1-2 Gamecocks punch
Nickie Blue has 28 innings to Jessica Elliott’s 23.2. How their numbers look:
Record | ERA | Strikeouts | |
Jessica Elliott | 5-0 | 0.89 | 15 |
Nickie Blue | 3-1 | 2.25 | 25 |
This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 2:25 PM with the headline "JUCO softball ace bolsters South Carolina pitching."