Jeff Johncox
There’s one quality of D.J. Mathis that’s immediately noticeable.
Whether you’ve seen her pitch one time, or a hundred times, you realize one thing: Mathis is a fighter.
The senior from East Alton, Ill., has the ability to get her team fired up just by picking up the ball.
There’s a reason for that.
The Sooner hurler has had to battle through a lot during her career, including shoulder surgery before her sophomore season and recurring shoulder pain this year.
But when she’s on, she’s on.
And when Mathis is in the circle, the Sooners have a chance to beat anybody.
“I think it has to do with her mentality,” OU catcher Lindsey Vandever said. “She’s one of those girls that if she wants something, she’ll go after it and get it. She has a lot of talent and knows what she wants.”
Mathis has come a long way from the freshman who was thrust into the spotlight at the Michigan Regional in 2006. She was still trying to figure things out back then. Now she’s the veteran leading her team into the postseason, which starts at 1:30 p.m. today when the Sooners take on Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
And she’s leading them in as the No. 1 seed and the regular-season conference champions.
“It’s been great,” Mathis said. “We’ve come close every year since I’ve been here. We’d wind up losing the one game we had to win to clinch the regular-season championship. It’s great that our senior class was able to do what we did.”
Mathis and fellow seniors Jeannie Douglas and Samantha Ricketts were looking to avoid becoming the ninth straight senior class without a regular-season conference title. They accomplished that thanks to a late-season run that has OU poised to likely host an NCAA regional next week, despite what happens in Oklahoma City this weekend.
Although adding a tournament championship would certainly help.
“We’re fired up,” Vandever said. “We want to go in and prove a point.”
The Sooner bats have been hot lately, and as it always seems to be with softball, it will likely come down to the pitchers.
Mathis has the experience, and she has the talent.
The only question is whether or not her arm will make it through the postseason.
“She’s pitching very well right now,” OU pitching coach Melyssa Lombardi said. “It’s totally two different seasons. She’s understanding what she needs to do to have success on the mound.”
Mathis had to overcome adversity her sophomore year. She struggled all season thanks to the surgery, but still won 12 games and posted a 2.60 earned run average pitching behind junior-college transfer Lauren Eckermann.
The two led OU to hosting super regional that year, and last season belonged to Mathis. It was her turn to take over as the ace, and she earned All-American credentials thanks to a 31-7 record and a 1.18 ERA. She showed how good she could be when healthy.
“She’s competetive,” Lombardi said. “Every time she steps on the mound she goes after it and lives to compete. She also has this really strong mental approach.”
She’s needed that this year.
The shoulder troubles kept Mathis in the dugout a significant portion of the season, but since taking the ball again, she’s been on fire.
Mathis’ toughness and ability to pitch through pain have led to a remarkable season and All-Big 12 first team honors. She’s 16-4 with a 2.49 ERA.
“I don’t think many other people would do it, or could do it,” Vandever said of Mathis’ ability to pitch through the pain. “It definitely takes a special kind of person. It’s hard to play through pain. Her heart for the game and her competetiveness, that’s what gets her through.”
Mathis won’t brag about her toughness (though teammates and coaches are more than glad to do it for her), but she does admit it’s been a long season — not that she wants it to end any time soon.
“We’re really excited about the postseason,” she said. “We’ve been playing a lot better. Each year I’ve been here, we’ve ended the season with a bad taste in our mouths. We don’t want that to happen again.”
Jeff Johncox
366-3535
jjohncox@normantranscript.com
