 Adam Rittenberg is a Medill sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected]. |
She sat stoically on a stool up against the north wall of McGaw Hall, jotting down notes while freshman pitcher Lauren Schwendimann thumped fastballs against a canvas backstop. Oblivious to the early hour and the dim light flickering above the softball practice area, she eyed the yellow ball as Schwendimann zipped it in, shouting tips toward her hurler. Following a resounding thud, her eyes turned to the batting cage, just in time to see outfielder Erin Jancic smack a line drive against the netting.
“Nice hit,” the Hall of Famer said, cracking a smile.
Every spring for the past 22 years, Sharon Drysdale has sat on a stool, decked out in black sweats and a Northwestern windbreaker, watching and coaching. She has taken NU to five Big Ten titles, earned nearly 700 career wins and seen hundreds of players shuffle through her softball academy.
But after this season – her 23rd at NU – Drysdale will vacate her stool and hang up her sweats.
“I’m going to have a little trouble adjusting to not wearing purple and white,” she said Monday.
After 38 seconds of talking softball with Drysdale, I knew I was in deep trouble. It’s like debating woodwork with Bob Vila or challenging Roger Ebert to movie trivia – you don’t stand a chance.
Drysdale is a co-author of six softball books, including the official NCAA softball rule book. She knows everything about the game, including the rules on slap hitting, the chaotic substitution regulations (or lack thereof) and, my personal favorite, the eight-run mercy rule.
Last season, NU players and coaches would snicker in their dugout as umpires and opposing coaches attempted to stump Drysdale. Her trademark strategy is to make umpires consult the rule book, which she carries with her during each game.
After Drysdale forced one umpire to do some reading and reverse a call in a game last April, a Michigan parent screamed: “Of course Sharon knows the rules. She wrote the darn book.”
Now that’s respect.
She was always more of a teacher than a coach, injecting a lifetime of softball knowledge into the minds of her pupils. Inducted into softball’s Hall of Fame in 1994, Drysdale has been a pioneer in her sport and a role model for young players.
Drysdale’s decision to leave NU after this season is unfortunate, but her desire to eventually coach professional softball is understandable and admirable. She has seen how far softball has come in the last 30 years, and now maybe she wishes to experience her sport at its highest level. Cats third baseman Alyson Schulz summed up Drysdale’s commitment to the game:
“Unless they have to drag her off the field,” Schulz said in May, “she’s never gonna leave.”
Although things will be different without Drysdale shooting signals across the diamond from third base at Anderson Field, her contributions to NU will not be forgotten.
Drysdale came to Evanston to build a softball program. She’ll leave with an unforgettable legacy.
