Softball: Patterson blossoms into program player at Springdale

Springdale High senior third baseman Whitnee Patterson takes batting practice Wednesday at the Springdale indoor practice facility.
Springdale High senior third baseman Whitnee Patterson takes batting practice Wednesday at the Springdale indoor practice facility.

SPRINGDALE -- Whitnee Patterson knows how to play to her strengths. Even when it comes to school debates.

"My evidence was a lot stronger than (my opponent's), and I kind of tore her down," she said with a grin. "I'm pretty good at flying by the seat of my pants. It's a lot of fun."

Profile

WHITNEE PATTERSON

SCHOOL Springdale High

CLASS Senior

HEIGHT 5-7

NOTABLE Patterson has hit a pair of home runs and drive in five in the first half of her senior season. … She dropped basketball to fully focus on softball, which she hopes to play in college. … Patterson hit a two-run home run in Springdale’s season opener against Gentry and another against Clarksville. … She has a younger brother on the Springdale football team. … Patterson hopes to one day become a lawyer.

Patterson has to be quick on her feet playing third base in the 7A-West, too, and mentally strong for a Springdale High softball team composed of mostly freshmen and sophomores.

But being a senior, Lady Bulldogs coach Ashlee Friend sees Patterson blossoming into the leader she always thought she could be.

"She's been on the team the last four years and continues to work harder and harder," Friend said. "She's really stepped up, especially her senior year. She's kind of my go-to if I need help with something or organizing something with the girls. She's someone I can count on every day."

Although Springdale hasn't enjoyed the success Friend would like, Patterson has been consistent on and off the field. She leads the Lady Red'Dogs with a pair of home runs, including one in the season-opener against Gentry.

After Maycee Trolinger led off the top of the fifth inning with a single, Patterson stepped into the box two batters later. Initially, when she made contact, Patterson was upset with herself, thinking she had just hit a towering fly ball. As she rounded first base, the ball cleared the fence and a confidence swelled over as she met her teammates at homeplate.

"It felt really good," Patterson said. "It kind of put confidence in me because my teammates were there. They've been there through the lows and the highs."

She later hit her second home run of the season against Clarksville, accounting for the lone run in a 7-1 loss. For the season, she's driven in five runs and provided solid play in the field, something she'd never done before, Friend said.

Patterson's relationship with Friend dates back to her beginnings with the Springdale softball program. The genesis of their bond was something neither of them could have expected.

During tryouts Patterson's sophomore year, a ground ball Friend hit took a brutal bounce. The next thing Patterson knew, blood started flowing.

"There were stitch marks and it took her out of basketball for a few days," Friend said of Patterson, who wound up with a concussion. "But it speaks for how tough she is because she didn't want me to sit her out."

That toughness is a necessary part of playing 60 feet or closer to home plate at third base.

"Sometimes (playing third) you get some rockets," said Patterson, who also played tennis for Friend in the fall. "I don't know if you can ever really be prepared for it, it's just how you read it off the bat. But I'm not as scared of the ball now."

Patterson's love for the game and the chance to play college softball led her to drop basketball and fully devote herself to Friend and the softball team after her junior year.

Friend can see the work her senior put in during her first full offseason paying dividends in the first half of the season.

"It's been nice to have her all year, and I know that sounds kind of selfish, but her being here every day lets her be the leader of the team and be the teammate I need her to be," the coach said.

"We're in such a competitive conference, we might not be as successful as a team, but I feel like if you're able to stand out against the big schools you're at a level you might see in college," she added. "And she has a lot more opportunities because she's so smart."

Patterson is shooting for either a political science or business degree and has an interest in Arkansas Tech and Bacone College (Okla.). Her ultimate goal is to become a lawyer, where her debates throughout high school could come in handy.

Friend is excited to watch Patterson continue grow and get better over Springdale's final 11 games.

"She's been producing at the plate and making big plays defensively," Friend said. "She's helping us out quite a bit."

The Lady Red'Dogs host rival Fayetteville at 5 p.m. today at JB Hunt Park.

Sports on 04/06/2017

Upcoming Events