With her team down 4-1 against Miami on April 2, shortstop Katie Shea yelled a few words of encouragement at senior teammate and catcher Britni Clark after she tagged out a player at the plate.
Ball State appeared to be doomed in a game where hits were hard to come by. But, the word "impossible" is rarely used in Shea's vocabulary.
That is just one example of how Shea, senior team captain, became the heart and soul of the Ball State softball team.
"She leads by example and is very vocal," senior center fielder Ruth Hjelmeland said. "She will bring in the infield and kind of slow down the game to get back to playing like we know how."
During team huddles when the Cardinals are behind, Shea said all she tries to do is remind her teammates of the obvious.
"We can and usually do come out on top in games where we look down," she said. "I tell them that we'll win if we want it more than the other team. I think playing with desire and heart always get you through."
The reigning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year didn't get good overnight. Often coming in early to work on her game and staying late after practice, Shea knows firsthand that preparation pays dividends. She said she is constantly looking for ways to improve.
"When I wake up, that's the first thing on my mind," Shea said. "I think about what I'm going to do to make myself better than the next person. I have always made a point of that because I think extra time does set you apart."
Through supporting feedback from her teammates Shea knows criticism is necessary in order to improve her craft.
"She is very receptive to what anyone tries to tell her," freshman designated hitter Darla Dewig said. "If you give her a suggestion and try to help her out, she wants to know 'what am I doing wrong' and 'why?'"
After Indiana State shut out the Cardinals 7-0 in one of the team's most disheartening losses of the season, the senior stayed around to get in some extra time in the batting cages. Everyone else, including the coaches, had packed up in a rush to leave following the humiliating defeat.
But not Shea. Never satisfied about being in a losing situation, she often takes losses personally.
"What Katie understands is that to get better at something, you have to work at it," head coach Terri Laux said. "She has a lot of pride in what she does (because) she wants to be the best. She brings her A-game everyday."
"She is excellent at trying to better herself," Dewig added. "She has a love for the game that you can't teach."
Even though Shea is ninth in the MAC in hitting with a .380 batting average and has a .580 slugging percentage, Laux said she still comes in for extra batting practice on a regular basis.
"I go overboard sometimes," Shea said. "The last four years I've realized how to accept failure in a positive way. If I haven't had a good performance, you will see me in (the training complex) trying to make it better."
"She breathes softball," Hjelmeland said. "She has a natural hunger for the game. She goes in there every time wanting to hit the ball, ready every play."
Shea attributes some of her success to the baseball background she gained while growing up in Royal Oak, Mich. She played on Little League Baseball teams comprised mostly of boys and said she had never heard of fast-pitch softball until high school.
She began to develop an outstanding work ethic by playing in city leagues while also competing in various other sports until she turned 16.
Shea's success is not limited solely to the softball diamond.
She is a recipient of the Ball State presidential scholarship, which is awarded based on high-school academic merit. Her excellence in academics has not slowed as shown by her three selections (2000, 2001, 2002) as National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete of the week. In 2001 and 2002, she was named to the Academic All-District Five. She still tops the team with a 3.81 grade point average.
"I tell our kids all the time to watch Katie," Laux said. "That goes beyond softball. She also does well in the classroom. On a daily basis, she works hard. Every other player sees that and they want to get better.
"She is a fighter, never one to back down from a challenge. Whatever she decides to do, she is going to be successful because she wants it."
Shea will graduate from Ball State later this year with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. She will then enroll in a three-year physical therapy doctorate program at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., this fall.
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