Hempfield's Jenna Osikowicz finds comfort, success with Seton Hill softball

For Jenna Osikowicz, becoming a successful college softball player has been all about her comfort zone — staying in it and straying from it.

Playing at Seton Hill just 18 minutes from her home — 15 minutes, she said, if the traffic lights cooperate — she finds peace and purpose. Having that foundation gave her the stability to weather the unstable.

Now a junior, the former member of Hempfield’s softball championship machine has established herself as one of the top players in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Osikowicz hit .403 and earned first-team all-conference honors last season.

Her encore performance is off to a promising start. Through nine games, she is hitting .406 for the Griffins (4-5), picked to finish second in the PSAC West.

Osikowicz said her choice of Seton Hill was galvanized by the death of her beloved “grammy,” Pauline Austeri, in 2014. The loss convinced Osikowicz she didn’t want to go to college far from home.

“I realized how much family means to me,” she said. “They’re the reason I’m here today, and I realize all the sacrifices they made for me through travel ball and everything.”

Though she easily could commute, she lives on campus for convenience — she has frequent early-morning workouts — to be around her teammates every day and have the “full college experience.” But on Sundays, she drives home, picking up her grandfather, Joseph Austeri, on the way, for a big family dinner.

“I know a lot of girls on my team are super far from their homes, and they get homesick,” she said. “That’s a stresser I don’t have.”

Being stress-free has allowed her to excel. And adapt.

A natural right-handed hitter, she produced mostly singles in high school. During her freshman season at Seton Hill, then-coach Bill Monstrola suggested she try hitting from the left side. She hit .294, but all 37 of her hits were singles.

Then, at a practice early last season, the first for current coach Jessica Strong, Osikowicz asked if she could take a few right-handed swings in the cage just to loosen up her back. After she smacked three consecutive balls into the back of the net, Strong decided it was best to have her hit right-handed more.

In addition to her .403 average last season, 13 of her team-leading 58 hits went for extra bases. Strong gives her the freedom to hit from whichever side of the plate she feels strongest on a given day.

“We talked about what pitches she might be more successful with given her style of hitting from both sides and just having an attack plan,” Strong said. “I tell her, ‘You have the bat. You make the decision.’

“In softball, it’s a little different to see a person who can truly be competitive on both sides of the batter’s box.”

Osikowicz also has good speed, evidenced by her 26 steals in 30 attempts over her first two seasons. That speed also helped her be effective in the outfield after playing mostly at second base in high school.

This season, however, Strong often has her back in familiar territory.

“Brooke Bower was our second baseman last season but graduated,” Strong said. “I told ‘Jo,’ ‘Don’t forget how to play second.’ I told her I would find a spot for her, whether it’s at second base or in the outfield.”

Recently, Osikowicz heard the coaches were going to let her pitch at practice. She never pitched before but was excited to try. Much to her disappointment, she discovered it was only a rumor.

But that has been typical of her approach. Outfield, second base, even a position she never played before, Osikowicz has the confidence and peace of mind to try if that is what is best for the team.

“That’s one thing coach (Bob) Kalp enforced (at Hempfield) … and Coach Strong enforces that, too: Put the ‘we’ before the ‘me,’ ” she said. “You have to put yourself aside for the team’s needs.”