Forgive Syracuse pitcher Brittany Gardner if she was a little nervous the first time she toed the pitching rubber for Syracuse. It wasn’t enough that the freshman was being asked to be the softball team’s No. 1 pitcher and opening-day starter, but Gardner’s first start was to come against No. 3 UCLA.

‘They’ve won 11 national championships and I’ve watched them play on television,’ Gardner said. ‘I just kind of had all that installed in my mind when I went out to play.’

The result was predictable for Gardner and the Orange. The freshman from Sterling, Va., lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on two hits and walking five. It was to be the first of many challenges Gardner will face this season.

Gardner and the Orange (2-13) will embark Friday on a 10-day trip to Florida where they will compete in the Florida State Invitational from March 9-11 and in a tournament at Stetson from March 16-18.

A season-ending injury to Erin Downey, last year’s ace and an All-Big East third team choice, has thrust Gardner into the role of No. 1 starter. Though Gardner has struggled at times to adjust to college hitters and the college workload, the freshman has shown development and glimpses of her potential since her first outing a month ago.

‘The biggest transition I’ve had to make from high school or travel ball to college is just the mental aspect of the game,’ Gardner said. ‘I’ve lost the intimidation factor because I don’t have the same name recognition as I did in high school.’

Gardner came to Syracuse as a highly-touted recruit from Park View (Va.) High School. Her senior year she threw seven no-hitters, struck out 332 batters and managed a paltry ERA of 0.39 while going 20-4. She chose Syracuse over Rutgers, attracted by the school’s atmosphere and the opportunity to pitch early.

Gardner could not have known when she first set foot in Syracuse just how much she was going to pitch, though, or how different college softball would be.

‘The hitters are definitely more aggressive and even if you throw your pitch they’ll still hit it,’ Gardner said. ‘I’ve had days where I’ve thrown pitches 3 feet off the plate and people get base hits.’

Gardner’s struggles certainly didn’t come via a lack of preparation, however. The freshman made a commitment to getting in shape during the fall before she knew just how big a role she was to play. While the rest of the team practiced in the Carrier Dome, the freshman would sometimes run up and down the Dome stairs to get in shape rather than resting. After practice, Gardner would spend time in the weight room, riding a stationary bike or running on an elliptical trainer.

‘She’s really done a lot on her own, which is a credit to her,’ Syracuse associate head coach Kyle Jamieson said. ‘She got in tremendous shape. She threw a ton of innings last weekend and that stems from her cardio work six months ago.’

Yet almost no amount of training could have prepared Gardner for the workload she must face this year. Gardner has started 12 of SU’s 15 games this season and has thrown 52.2 innings over the course of three weekends.

Jamieson, who works primarily with the team’s pitchers, said Gardner’s struggles have been due mostly to a lack of command and falling behind hitters. Gardner has walked 54 hitters over her 52.2 innings, compared to just 44 strikeouts. Jamieson contributes those numbers as well as Gardner’s inflated 7.71 ERA to nothing more than inexperience.

As that game experience grows, Gardner has shown clear signs of her development and potential. She gathered her first victory on February 23 in a 5-2 win over Marist that saw her fan nine batters.

Last Friday, the freshman earned her second victory in a 9-2 win over McNeese State. Yet more people took more notice of the team’s 2-1 loss to No. 4 Texas A&M later in the day, in which Gardner allowed just two runs and six hits over six innings.

‘We got a glimpse of what she can do against Texas A&M,’ Jamieson said. ‘She was lights out. That’s the third-best hitting team in the nation and she didn’t walk anybody. They didn’t put anything together – they just hit two solo home runs.

‘I always said when I first came in here that by Brittany’s third and fourth year she could be lights out in the Big East.’

For now, Gardner is busy getting comfortable with a role up that until three weeks ago she could have had no clue would be placed upon her. While Gardner admits that she does feel pressure, she knows her experiences will help her in the long run.

‘I’d say I’m pretty mentally tough now after what I’ve gone through with my team and the games we’ve played,’ Gardner said. ‘I hope that people will look at me at the end of season and just see that I’m a competitor and this is what I love to do.’

Published on March 7, 2007 at 12:00 pm