BENTONVILLE — Ashton Long stared intently at the pitcher, while taking practice swings in the on-deck circle. She was just hoping to get a chance to extend Arkansas Tech’s first-round game in the Great American Conference Softball Tournament at Bentonville’s Tiger Athletic Complex.
The sophomore from Springdale enjoyed her return to Northwest Arkansas going 3-for-3, but Long wouldn’t get another shot. Instead, teammate Ashley Keen popped out to the shortstop to end the game and the Golden Suns fell into the loser’s bracket with a 9-5 loss to Henderson State.
Long dropped the bat to her side and trudged back to the dugout to get in line with her teammates to shake hands with the Lady Reddies. Arkansas Tech’s season ended later Friday evening with an 11-2 loss to Ouachita Baptist, but Long acknowledged this season was much better than last for her and the Golden Suns.
Long, who attended Springdale Har-Ber High, played played in all 47 games, starting 46 mostly in right field as a freshman. She hit .255 with a homer and 12 runs batted in. But the Golden Suns struggled to a 16-31 record and 8-18 in GAC play.
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Tech was picked to finish last in the league in a preseason poll, but surprised many by finishing third under first-year coach Kristina McSweeney. Long said the new coach gave her new energy this season.
“Last year was rough,” Long said. “It came to a point with losing where you just tried to do good. Playing travel ball really helped me adjust to college, but it’s a lot different. There’s a lot more pressure.”
This season was also different because Long was tried at several different positions in the outfield and infield. But ultimately was put in the position of designated player, a player who hits but doesn’t play defensively.
It’s a position she’s never played before in many years of softball, Long said. And it was a tough adjustment at first.
‘I always enjoyed playing defense,” Long said. “I had never not played defense. I got down on myself. But I had to just try to be positive about it and concentrate on doing that one thing, hitting.”
McSweeney said the position wasn’t an indictment of Long’s defensive play, but just how she could be help the team. She’s also batted in a few different spots in the lineup, which is also not easy, McSweeney said.
“We had her in the two-hole some and she can do some different things, hit and run, bunt and run,” McSweeney said. “We’ve really been blessed with her.”
“We asked her to do a lot of different things, but she’s willing to do whatever. She’s a fighter. She’ll run through a wall. She had a little rough patch, but she’s been crushing the ball lately for us.”
Crushing the ball, indeed.
Long went 12-for-32 in her final 11 games, a .375 clip, to raise her batting average more than 50 points and finish the season at .267.
The strong finish has given Long some confidence for the future.
“I feel more comfortable in my second year,” Long said. “It makes me feel good she has confidence in me.”