Her tournament run has been better than most high school careers.
Erin Gabriel has led Poland to the State Semifinals by throwing four no-hitters and a perfect game - in which she struck out all 15 batters.
And she is just a sophomore.
"Getting ahead in the count is my secret," says Gabriel. "Once you get ahead of them, you can get them to chase your pitch, and being a pitcher, that's the #1 rule. You make them hit your pitch, not theirs."
Senior teammate Megan Hirschbeck has had a unique view of Gabriel's work - she has been her catcher for two seasons.
"She does everything to the best of her ability," says Hirschbeck. "She has that determination. You see her go to the back of the circle. She gets the right mindset, and she's always striking people out because of it."
Gabriel is averaging 17 strikeouts a game, with a tournament best 20 K performance against Hubbard in District play. Tallmadge was the only team to touch her, scoring two runs on 3 hits in the Regional Semifinals.
Schools like UCLA, Tennessee and Kentucky are already at her games because she throws in the mid-60's, like a college ace.
"She not only mixes it up," says Poland head coach Reid Lamport. "She mixes it up vertically, she mixes it up horizontally and that makes a big difference."
And Erin believes variety has been a big key to her success. "I've thrown every pitch. I've thrown a drop, a drop curve, a screw, a regular curveball, a change up, I've thrown it all. But my riseball is definitely my strikeout pitch."
Growing up in a system like Poland helps as well. And to pitch the program to it's first state title would be her biggest achievement yet.
"Most of us have played with each other since we were 7-8 years old," says Gabriel. "So we have a really good chemistry with each other. Just to win it, we've been dreaming about it since we were little, so it would mean a lot to all of us."
Poland (29-1) will face New Concord John Glenn (27-3) on Thursday in the Division II State Semifinals. First pitch is set for 12:30.
The Bulldogs are ranked #1 in the state softball polls, and their young ace is a big reason why.
