ELLSWORTH, Maine — Ellsworth High School junior center fielder Leah Stevens calls it “the element of surprise.”
Stevens is a switch-hitter but what makes her unique is sometimes she will swing the bat from both sides of the plate in the same at-bat.
“I actually do that a lot,” she said.
Stevens is a natural right-handed hitter but, in middle school, coach Rachelle Brown decided to teach her how to bunt from the left side to take advantage of her speed.
“It made a lot of sense,” said Stevens. “Hitting from the left side, you’re a couple of extra steps closer [to first base].”
When she reached Ellsworth High, Eagles head coach Rick Roberts added to her arsenal by teaching her how to be a slap hitter from the left side.
Left-handed slap hitters will start running toward first as the pitch is delivered and try to slap the ball on the ground and beat out the throw to first. Other times they may flair it to the outfield.
That gives opposing defenses something else to think about.
“Sometimes teams will creep up too much to take that play [bunt, slap hit] away from us. So since she’s a very good right-handed hitter, she’ll turn back around and hit right-handed,” said Roberts.
That will force the corner infielders to play back more.
He said her versatility from both sides of the plate is a “good weapon.”
“And she’s really quick. Her speed really helps us,” Roberts added.
Stevens is Ellsworth’s lead-off hitter and a two-time All-Penobscot Valley Conference Class B All-Star.
“She hit around .500 for us last year,” said Roberts. “She had 25 or 26 hits. She also has a good eye at the plate and will take a walk when she needs to. She’s a good team player.”
Stevens said she assesses the defense and its positioning before she steps into the batter’s box.
If the third and first baseman are pulled in close anticipating a bunt, she will look to slap the ball.
“I’ll probably try to slap it toward the shortstop unless I see that the second baseman is playing farther back,” said Stevens, who also will bunt from the right side from time to time.
She said she almost always steps into the batter’s box on the left side unless she finds herself in a situation where it calls for her to try to drive the ball instead of bunting or slapping it.
“Like if the bases are loaded,” explained Stevens, who has more power from the right side.
“I prefer to see her swinging away from the right side,” said Roberts.
She often will switch from the left to the right side of the plate when she gets two strikes because the bunt is taken out of play.
Stevens also said if she doesn’t feel like she’s having good at-bats from one side of the plate, she will switch to the other side.
“It will depend on which side I feel more comfortable hitting at the time,” she said.
Stevens said she feels comfortable from both sides of the plate.
“I’m pretty ambidextrous,” said Stevens. “I’m right-handed but I shoot left-handed in basketball.”
She is working on a couple of other things, too.
Stevens, who is also an outstanding outfielder, is developing a normal swing from the left side which will mean she will stay in the batter’s box rather than running up the line and slapping it.
“And I’ve been trying to push my bunts from the right side farther [past the pitcher],” she said.
Old Town coach Jenn Plourde applauded Stevens’ creativity and versatility.
“A lot of players would have a hard time with it,” said Plourde. “Everyone has a more prominent eye. Good for her.”