CANYON, Texas — Every day back in high school, St. Mary's pitcher
Emily Brittain would pitch to a wall.
The routine steadily built up Brittain's dexterity, as the 5-foot-10 ace would bat down the returning balls with whatever it took — an arm, a thigh or even a foot.
Now, opposing batters are hitting into a wall of their own.
The "Great Wall of Brittain" has developed a knack for stopping anything hit back her way, including the final out of Friday's 4-3 victory over No. 1-ranked West Texas A&M that has the
Rattlers on the doorstep of advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2005.
Brittain stopped a hard-hit ground ball with her thigh, picked it up and fired from her knees to first base for the final out in a game that marked her 31
st victory of the season to set up today's 1:30 p.m. Game 2 in Canyon, Texas.
"I don't even think about it anymore," she said. "I just stick out parts of my body."
One such play earned Brittain, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, recent attention on TV.
In the Heartland Conference Tournament opener against Texas-Permian Basin, Brittain stuck her foot out and literally stomped on a ground ball for a groundout to first base. The play earned the Play of the Week honor on KSAT-12's "Instant Replay" show.
"It's scary as a coach," joked head coach
Donna Fields, noting the injury risk Brittain's defensive presence presents.
Brittain leads all of NCAA Division II with 15 shutouts and is among the top three in the nation with 31 victories. The 2013 Daktronics All-America Honorable Mention is a two-time First Team All-Region selection, the three-time Heartland Conference Pitcher of the Year and ranks No. 2 in St. Mary's history with 95 career victories (with only 27 losses).
And it's taken quite literally every part of Brittain to get there.
