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Saturday, March 16, 2024, TRIB-LIVE
Mackenzie Borkovich felt like she had been kicked in the face during her freshman year at Slippery Rock. The skills that served her well in the pitcher’s circle at Fox Chapel Area High School were going to take some adjusting to be successful in college.
After making seven relief appearances and a start last season, Borkovich came back home in the summer ready to make changes.
“I had to take a step back and break everything down,” Borkovich said. “I worked with a pitching coach to start from square one.”
Making changes has paid big dividends for Borkovich. She has focused on throwing with more spin and forcing batters into weak fly balls. During the early part of this season at The Rock, Borkovich has demonstrated large improvements.
During her freshman season, Borkovich allowed 29 earned runs in 19 innings. Through seven appearances as a sophomore, again primarily as a reliever, she has only allowed four earned runs in 21 2/3 innings.
“She has certain skills that can keep batters off balance,” SRU softball coach Stacey Rice said. “She can throw the ball with the right amount of spin to get outs. She is an up and rise ball pitcher.”
SRU was 5-10 through its first 15 games. Borkovich is going to be used primarily as a reliever this year, as The Rock has a lot of experience in the circle. However, stepping in to pull SRU out of tight spots is something Borkovich has grown to enjoy.
Borkovich has seen her walks tick up this year, but Rice isn’t worried about those numbers too much.
“Walks can be tricky because some of those are intentional,” Rice said. “Control comes with age. With how she pitches, a lot of her balls are going to be up and end up being fly balls. It’s hard to get that pitch called a strike.”
One of the highlights of the early season was her outing against Shippensburg in early March. SRU lost Game 1 of a twinbill when the Rams squeaked out a 3-2 decision.
Borkovich took the loss in the first game, but came in again in the nightcap.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Bokrovich threw 4 1/3 innings, struck out two and didn’t allow any runs in a 9-8 extra-innings win. Bokovich’s performance that weekend earned her the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week honors.
“That was a big win and gave me a mental shift,” Borkovich said. “Shippensburg won the PSAC last year, and we want to win the PSAC this year. It gave me a big boost of confidence.”
With a new look at how to pitch more effectively, Borkovich is excited to get some more opportunities.
Her freshman year opened her eyes to how she needs to play.
“In high school, I was just worried about striking people out,” Borkovich said. “In college, No. 1 through 9 can hit the ball. In high school, once you got past the middle of the order, you were OK. I’m happy to get lazy fly balls and pop ups.”