Kornacki: Postseason is New Season for Christner
6/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
June 2, 2016
By Steve Kornacki
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Kelly Christner was coping with a season-long slump but told herself something after the Big Ten Tournament that she believed with all her heart.
"Once I got to the postseason," said Christner, "I put the whole season behind me. I said, 'I'm going to start fresh and see where we go.'"
Christner has batted .471 (8-for-17) since then, starring in both the NCAA Super Regional and Regional tournaments and scoring five runs while knocking in a pair.
It marked a turnaround the Wolverines sorely needed from their dynamic leftfielder who last year solidly established herself as the top offensive threat in the lineup after Sierra Romero, whom she also literally follows in the batting order.
"Last year," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said of Christner, "she was a first-team All-American and this year she didn't make All-Big Ten. She had what I like to refer to as the World Series hangover. It was a great, great year, and kids who often experience great success, they come back with their expectations very high. But they get a little befuddled when it just doesn't automatically happen.
"The team really remembers what all happened at the end of the season (on a run to the NCAA championship game), but they forgot how hard they worked to get there. She certainly had a great Super Regional for us, she had a great Regional for us. Now, she's just gone back to doing what it takes to be great, and she's a great athlete and a great talent, and we certainly need her back and hitting in the three hole."
Christner was a major development in 2015. She went from batting .299 with three homers and 17 RBI as a freshman to .393 with 21 homers and 67 RBI as a sophomore.
This year was just as hard to see coming as the previous one, only in reverse. Christner comes into Thursday night's (June 2) Women's College World Series opener against LSU batting .320 with six homers and 33 RBI.
"It was more about the expectations I had for myself coming off last year," said Christner, "and knowing that I am that good and I can be at that highest level. And then, not performing that way for the majority of the season was hard for me.
"But I had a couple talks with Hutch and kept an open mind and just kept trying to make adjustments, keeping my energy up for the rest of my team and not focusing on my own success but rather the team's success. But even though I didn't have a great year, we're still here. We're still in the World Series."
However, she's no longer looking at the dramatic drop in homers and RBI and digging herself a hole at the plate.
Instead, she's swinging freely and digging only for an extra base.
"It was more just: 'Why am I not hitting the ball harder?'" said Christner. "So, I found ways to get on base. I bunted more. I tried to draw some walks. I would get hits here and there. But it was more just having solid hits, even if they were outs.
"I just wanted to hit the ball square. The home runs just kind of come when my swing is on."
Michigan's starting outfield of centerfielder Sierra Lawrence, rightfielder Kelsey Susalla and Christner has grown close. They encourage one another when they're not hitting as they're capable, and that was visible during the dramatic, come-from-behind win over Missouri in the Super Regional-clinching victory.
Each member of the outfield trio had a big hit as the Wolverines scored four times in the seventh inning for a 5-4 win Sunday afternoon (May 29).
"Kelsey wasn't having the best weekend," said Christner, "but Sierra Lawrence and I both told her the same thing: 'Kels, it doesn't matter. You're going to get the hit whenever we need it.' And when she got that last hit in the last inning, I came up to her and said, 'I told you you'd get it when we needed it!' That was huge for her going into the World Series and for her confidence and relaxation."
Susalla, batting cleanup, tied the score with a double after Christner's single cut the deficit to one run. Christner scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
Lawrence had something special to say to Christner before her at-bat.
"Before my last at-bat in the seventh inning on Sunday," said Christner, "Si-Lo (Lawrence) was on first base and I'm in the on-deck circle. She just looked at me and said, 'Kell, I love you no matter what!' Just little things like that matter and helps you relax.
"Having the same three of us in the outfield the last three seasons (Lawrence and Susalla are seniors), we just know each other so well and know each other on a personal level. There were times when I was struggling this year, and I knew they always had my back and they would joke with me and keep me smiling."
Christner lit up on Wednesday afternoon (June 1) when discussing the WCWS opportunity in the lobby of the team's downtown hotel. She said having been here last year makes a significant difference.
"It's a huge advantage," said Christner. "I remember last year, coming in for the first game and just being so nervous. You never play in front of that many people. So, you get out there and it's nerve-wracking. So, with the majority of our team and starters now having this -- and the seniors having been here twice (before) -- it's a huge advantage for relaxation and comfort.
"I remember how a ball bounced off the wall and how high it is. That type of knowledge also is helpful."
Hutchins, with Christner to her left, takes a selfie with the ESPN broadcast crew.
Christner said the team has been focusing on "going after pitches early in the count" to counter postseason pitchers "trying to get ahead in the count," and that will be central against the talented LSU pitching staff, which uses four pitchers and has three with double-digit victory totals.
When the going gets rough, Christner is one of the Wolverines who will step up and be counted on not only as a performer but as a leader.
"Kelly is one of the tri-captains who is not senior," said Hutchins, whose other captains are second baseman Romero and outfielder/pinch-runner Olivia Richvalsky. "She was voted (for) because of her great work ethic and ability to say what she thinks and make sure her teammates are always marching in the right direction."
Christner said, "The main thing for me is to keep that energy level up no matter what the score or situation is. And I do say what's on my mind and don't try to say it in a rude way or come off as yelling at someone. But if I think someone might not be giving 100 percent or have the right mindset, I won't be afraid to say something. So, that's one thing that I've tried to focus on, keeping everyone in the right state of mind."
She learned about leadership and athletics from her parents, who also were college athletes. Her father, Randy, played baseball at Cornell University and her mother, Julie, played soccer at Walsh.
Her sister, Katie, was on the Wisconsin softball team and just graduated, and her brother, Travis, who played high school basketball, is going to study engineering this fall as a freshman at Illinois.
"My dad would coach us a lot," said Christner. "And with both my parents being former college athletes, they were a huge help during recruiting with what to look for.
"But the main thing is that the focus in our family was always academics and not just athletics. Even though we're an athletic family, the intelligence of my sister, brother and parents outshines that. That balance sets us apart."
Kelly, a movement science major at Michigan, was a 2015 Academic All-America third-team selection. She hopes to become a physical therapist and said studying how her body works has helped her better understand injuries and conditioning.
The Christner family will all be at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium for the WCWS, driving from their home in Tinley Park, Illinois, just south of Chicago.
"It's a 12-hour drive and they just left two hours ago," said Kelly, glancing at her watch. "It will be two years in a row, and so that's great. It's a fun experience for them, too."
Christner made the WCWS all-tournament team last year along with pitcher Haylie Wagner, shortstop Abby Ramirez, Romero and Susalla. They're all back except for Wagner.
Christner is looking like herself again, swinging well and smiling often.
"We're all just excited," said Christner. "Our seniors are such a great class and will be missed not only softball-wise but for their leadership and presence.
"We're going to try to help them have a fun week no matter what and just go out on that high note."
