Penn-Trafford grad Nedley adds pop to Penn softball

Emma Nedley was once a wide-eyed youngster plopped in front of the TV watching college softball with innocent wonderment.

She enjoyed the double plays. She appreciated the diving catches and smiled when the teams started chanting with excitement to start a rally.

But she loved the home runs.

That’s what she wanted to do some day: hit dingers.

Now a freshman at Penn, she is experiencing the long ball for herself.

“Home runs are a nice surprise when I hit them,” said Nedley, a former Penn-Trafford standout. “Normally, if I aim for a home run, I won’t hit one. I tend to hit them when I’m careless in the batter’s box. They add a lot of fun to the game.”

Speaking of surprises, Nedley has been a nice one for the Quakers (11-10, 3-3 Ivy League), quickly taking root in the lineup as a leadoff or mid-order hitter, and center fielder.

Her progress has been fast, her changeover crisp and sound.

And speaking of sounds, there has been a few coming from the Penn dugout.

“We yell ‘Can I get a hoorah, hoorah, hoorah, hoorah, hooo-rah, hooo-rah,’ ” Nedley said the team shouts after a big hit, especially a home run.

Nedley had three homers to lead the team through 21 games.

“Our assistant coach starts the cheer, and we echo her,” Nedley said. “We do it after any big moment in a game.”

In addition to early-season pop, Nedley has shown her speed with a team-leading six stolen bases. She also is the team leader in runs (13) and total bases (36), and has a .333 average.

“I really had no clue what to expect,” she said of playing college softball at the highest level. “I’ve grown up watching college softball, but it is definitely different when you experience it for yourself.

“I was quite shocked when my name was read on the lineup the first game of the season. I knew that I had to prove myself to remain a starter, and I think that my work ethic has gotten me to that point.”

Not really expecting a fast or slow start to the season, Nedley simply merged into the next level to see what might happen.

“It’s crazy to think that all of my hard work is finally paying off,” Nedley said. “February was a really long month of only practice, but once the season came, I could only trust in my hard work thus far.”

Penn coach Leslie King calls Nedley an explosive athlete and is not surprised when she hits one over the fence.

“Emma is a true student of the game,” King said. “She is constantly observing at practices and games with intent to learn. She also is one of the hardest workers I have had in the program.

“The combination of her natural talent, work ethic and willingness to learn has made her transition to college softball a seamless one.”

What King saw when she recruited Nedley — the off-beat meeting of the two parties happened at a travel tournament in Colorado of all places — was a player tailor-made for the No. 1 spot in the order, but with added power and gap-finding ability.

Nedley produced in a number of ways as a senior last season at Penn-Trafford. She hit .448 with 11 doubles, three homers, 26 runs and 24 RBIs.

“I loved her speed and her reading of the game,” King said. “She got great jumps in the outfield, covered lots of ground and got great reads on the bases. And she brings energy and purpose to everything she does.”

Nedley said conditioning has played a role in her early development.

“I’ve gained power from all of our preseason training,” she said. “It has allowed me to become a better and stronger hitter.”

Finding a delicate balance between the physical and mental sides of the game, Nedley said, will be key in continuing her development.

“The hardest part has been being patient,” Nedley said. “Other schools have scouting reports on me, and with that, I haven’t been pitched my favorite pitch in two weeks.”