Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Sports

Eastern sophomore pitcher and infielder Amber May has a record of 4-0 on the season. May transferred from Heartland College and this is her first season at Eastern. During Eastern softball's opening weekend she won Most Valuable Player at the New Mexico State Tournament. (Alycia Rockey/The Daily Eastern News)

Amber May is accustomed to winning.

When the sophomore pitcher was attending high school in Normal, she won a state title with their softball team.

When she returned to Normal in the fall of 2008 as a member of Eastern's softball team, she pitched a no-hitter to help lead the Panthers to the Silver Bracket title at the inaugural Illinois Collegiate Softball Championship.

So, it is no surprise that May is used to pitching at a high level, which was in full display last weekend at the New Mexico State Classic.

May made her debut pitching performance of the season, finishing with a record of 4-0 and an earned run average of 1.17. May struck out 24 batters in her 23 innings of work, while only walking nine batters and holding her opponents to a batting average of .205.

May was awarded the MVP award and was later awarded with an Ohio Valley Conference softball honor for leading the Panthers to a championship victory in the Aggie Classic.

With the help of May, the Panthers have begun the season at a mark of 5-0, but women's softball head coach Kim Schuette believes that May can pitch better.

"(May) is probably one of the most competitive players I've ever been around," Schuette said. "Last weekend, May was our rock and she pitched really well. But there were a few little things that she could improve on and that's were our focus with her will be."

Junior infielder Megan Nelson said as a teammate, May is a strong presence on the mound. Nelson said she has always had aspirations for May, ever since they played high school softball together.

Nelson also reiterated Schuette's thoughts on May's competitive nature.

"I don't think I have ever played with another pitcher that has more determination then May," Nelson said. "Once she steps on the mound, we are confident that she will get the batters out."

Schuette said some of May's strengths include her power and movement of pitches, competitive nature, and her ability to be consistent.

May transferred from Heartland College in Normal to Eastern for the fall 2008 season and since then she has been improving her pitching as much as possible.

"Since transferring to EIU we have focused on consistency and speed control," Schuette said. "She really does a good job of staying back on the rubber and using her legs, as oppose to leaning forward and using her front foot."

May explained that the experience of transferring from Heartland to Eastern left her with the feeling of not knowing what to expect.

"It was a little scary at first," May said. "I did really well against Division II players, but I was worried about how I could compete against Division I players. After the first week of the fall season I became more comfortable and kind of new my place from there."

May said that when she arrived at Eastern she tried to overpower batters with her pitches. But over time, with the help of Schuette, she has learned to use more of her movement.

"In practice, I've been focusing on using the movement of my pitches more than the speed of the pitches," she said

A kinesiology and sports studies major, May said that she is motivated by her love for the sport and the competition of the games.

She said her biggest influence on her sports career has been her father.

Going forward, May believes the Panthers have a good chance to win their conference.

"I know we are capable of winning conference and the biggest thing really is that the team believes that we can do it as well," May said.


Neil Schneider can be reached at 581-7944 or jnschneider@eiu.edu

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