The message came through as loud and clear as the “ping” of an aluminum bat.
Ashley Crane was back, and she was here to stay.
In her first at-bat of the season against Oregon State, the senior second baseman walloped what turned out to be the winning home run in a 1-0 Northwestern victory.
For Crane, whose career has been a rollercoaster ride from the starting lineup to the bench and back again, the homer was much more than just another run on the scoreboard. As she rounded the bases with a smile on her face, her team knew it.
“It was a big shot of confidence for her, and it sent a message to herself, her coaches and her team that it’s her spot this year,” coach Kate Drohan said.
“I was so proud of her,” senior centerfielder Sheila McCorkle said. “She’s a great girl, and it’s great that she started her season like that. It has something to say about staying committed even when the going gets tough.”
The tough times were Crane’s sophomore and junior seasons. She started 36 games at shortstop as a freshman and hit .207 with one home run before being sent to the bench.
“I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted to be,” Crane said. “I felt I deserved not to be on the field and that I needed to work harder.”
The next two seasons, Crane’s path back to the starting lineup hit major roadblocks.
Eryn Manahan, who won a national title with California in 2002, transferred to NU for the 2004 season to play shortstop. The next year, freshman Stephanie Churchwell arrived and grabbed a stranglehold on the position, going on to hit .406 and earn Second-Team All-American accolades.
“If it was difficult for her, she never let us know,” said Ashley’s father, Jim. “She always had the same spirit. She was caring more about what other people were doing than herself. Once she got put on the bench, you could never tell she wasn’t a starter because she stayed involved and didn’t just stay on the bench and mope. It shows how mature she is.”
Despite only batting 19 times in two seasons, Crane stuck it out at NU because she owed it to herself and to her teammates, she said.
“She’s very passionate about life and passionate about supporting her teammates,” McCorkle said. “It just says what a tremendous person she is (that she stayed).”
Before this season, a spot opened up at second base, and Drohan said she believed Crane had improved her skills and deserved the chance.
Crane, ever so modest, never even told her parents she was back in the lineup. Jim said he and Crane’s mother, Carol, didn’t know until they saw the results of the Oregon State game. The only time Crane ever showed any outward signs of satisfaction with her regained role on the team came during a car ride, Jim said.
From the back seat, Crane told her parents, “It’s so great I’m helping the team now in more ways.”
Without making a big deal about it, Crane has made the most of her second chance.
Besides her home run against the Beavers, she notched the game-winning hit against No. 1 UCLA and smacked a long ball against Iowa that put the first Wildcat run on the board in a 3-1 win. In the opening game of the Big Ten tournament against Illinois, her big fly provided the crucial second run in a 4-1 victory.
“She has come up with key hits and key defensive plays at the right times,” Drohan said. “She’s always there to spark us and get us going.”
Yet Crane’s influence on the team extends beyond her play on the field.
“She’s very supportive and empathetic,” said McCorkle, Crane’s best friend the last four years and roommate the last two. “She’s one of the most empathetic people I know. She’s great as a teammate and as a friend.”
Drohan has a slightly different and decidedly odder take on who Crane is.
“Ashley is an elf,” Drohan said. “I think everyone fits into a ‘Lord of the Rings’ category, and Ashley’s an elf.”
This may seem hard to believe, but no matter if it’s true or not, one thing is for sure. Whether Ashley Crane is an elf, a hobbit or a human, she’s an integral part of the NU starting lineup.
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Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].
