Tim Downer

In this week’s Hot Seat, John interviews Krystal Lewallen.

John Rasp: How fast is your fastball? Krystal Lewallen: Probably around 65 mph. JR: What are the different pitches that you have? KL: Fastball, changeup, riseball, screwball, and a curveball.

JR: Which NKU softball player would be most likely to get a hit off of you? KL: Angie Lindeman. She’s a good power hitter and she does a good job watching the pitches as they come out of the pitcher’s hand.

JR: Emily Breitholle said that you and she were the most superstitious players on the team. What are some of the superstitions that you have? KL: My favorite color is pink, and ever since our first game I would wear different color sports bras. Now I only wear pink sports bras since we’ve been winning.

JR: Can an NKU baseball player hit a NKU softball pitcher? KL: No. What are they, like .500? If they can’t hit a baseball player how are they supposed to hit a softball pitcher? The spins are much different.

JR: As a pitcher, do you ever brush someone back from the plate? KL: Sometimes (I brush them back). Sometimes I slip up and hit them but they shouldn’t be that close up on the plate if they don’t want to get hit.

JR: I noticed that you got three wins in a day up at the GLIAC/GLVC tournament. How many games can you pitch in a day before you start to notice a difference in your pitching? KL: Honestly I don’t know. In the summer, I pitch a lot of games because I’m the only pitcher on my summer team. I could pitch as many games as I needed to: Whatever it takes to win.

JR: Out of the NKU pitchers, which one is the best hitter? KL: We don’t hit ever. If anyone got to hit, I would like to hit. Actually I was one of the best hitters at my high school. It’s a little different than college, though.

JR: Which NKU player would be most likely to get thrown out of a game? KL: Sarah Newland. Last year she got in a scuffle at the plate. She’s a mean little runner.

JR: Who is NKU’s biggest softball rival? KL: SIUE.

JR: Has an NKU softball player ever hit a car over the wall in the outfield? KL: I think Sara Becker or Rachele Vogelpohl could probably do it because they hit home runs on that side.

JR: For students who don’t come to many softball games, what would they be surprised with if they came to one of your games? KL: How competitive our team is and how good we are. I would say we are one of the best teams here right now.