It is hard to imagine a softball crossing the plate at roughly the same speed as a car driving on the interstate. Step up to the plate against Leslie Jury, however, and this becomes a reality.
The University of Alabama sophomore tops out at 72 mph and said she throws consistently at 66 or 67 mph. She is 15-3 on the season and has the lowest ERA (1.91) on the team.
But softball was not her first love. At least, it was not her only love.
“When I was actually younger, I played all of that travel ball – volleyball, basketball, softball and soccer,” Jury said. “I was on the elite travel teams for my age and all that. It was crazy, and I was choosing between soccer and softball because they’re the same season.”
She chose softball, but not for pitching.
“I actually played shortstop back then,” Jury said. “For some reason, I thought I was going to be a college shortstop, which I don’t ever see that happening, and that’s why I chose [softball]. Then I really started to focus on pitching, and I realized that that was what I was best at.”
She started pitching at 11 years old and has not stopped. Jury competed in six state championships in South Carolina, winning two. She was also a four-time all-state, five-time all-region and two-time South Carolina AAA Player of the Year.
Her freshman year did not have the same aura around it as her high school career had. Jury ended up with a 2.75 ERA and was 11-4 on her 2012 season.
“That freshman year when things don’t go her way, it’s tough, and it’s tough for every kid to have to deal with that,” head coach Patrick Murphy said. “You can look all the way to Monica Abbott to Cat Osterman who were some of the greatest pitchers in NCAA history, and they struggled their freshman year. [Stephanie VanBrakle] did, our pitching coach, but [Jury] has just gotten better and better mentally.”
This season has been quite a turnaround for the sophomore pitcher. She has had only two more appearances this season than in 2012 season, but she has improved her ERA by .84 and has four more wins and one less loss than in 2012.
“My whole mindset this year is I just want to be more confident,” Jury said. “I told myself when I came back for my sophomore year I had to be more confident, and it was the only way I was going to succeed. So I really worked on that, and it didn’t just start with pitching. I hit the weight room harder … and I really think that that’s helped me a lot this year.”
It is this confidence that has transformed the Alabama pitching rotation from one previously dominated by one pitcher into a more balanced roster.
“I have full confidence in every single one of them that you put out there,” shortstop Danae Hays said. “I feel like every single one that you put out there is going to be our ace. So I have full confidence, and I know the other eight players have full confidence in [Jury].”
Jury said she thrives when she knows her teammates are behind her.
“Being thrown into situations like [the final Mississippi State game] is really where I’ve succeeded and now I know I can, and I just have the full support of my teammates,” Jury said. “Like every time I turn around, I see Kayla Braud and Haylie McCleney firing me up from the outfield, and that really just blows [up] my confidence, and I just love it. My teammates are why I’m so confident.”
