IU Coach Michelle Gardner said she knew her team would need to fill a void at catcher this season.
After losing last season’s starting catchers Kelsey Dotson and Kassi Farmer to graduation, the Hoosiers have turned to two new faces as replacements.
Junior Shayna Gamm and freshman Bella Norton are both new to IU with Gamm transferring from Lake Land College in Illinois. Despite their inexperience with the program and Division I softball, Gardner said she feels comfortable having either player catch on a given day.
“They’re just a little different, but yet I think they’re both very good catchers,” Gardner said. “It’s a matter of keeping it in perspective about who’s throwing the ball and who works with who.”
Norton started four of the five games at the Kajikawa Classic this past weekend. Gamm started once and replaced Norton in another game. Three of Norton’s four starts came when sophomore pitcher Tara Trainer was in the circle. With Trainer on the mound, IU allowed only seven hits more than 16 and one third innings pitched.
Gardner, a former pitcher at Michigan, said for pitchers being in a comfort zone often has to do with who is behind the plate.
“I think Tara is very comfortable with Bella,” Gardner said. “That’s why you had those two matched up together.”
While Norton struggled at the plate to begin the tournament, she ended her time in Arizona on a high. Norton recorded her first two collegiate hits Sunday in the 2-0 win against Saint Mary’s, and one was an RBI double in the seventh. Defensively, though, Norton committed an error and allowed several passed balls during the tournament.
“It was obviously a bit of a nerve-racking experience for me,” Norton said. “But I was extremely motivated.”
Gamm didn’t get as many opportunities as Norton during IU’s first five games, but she put her experience to use when the chances came. She notched a two-RBI single in IU’s 7-3 win against Seattle and also scored a run.
Succeeding at the plate isn’t new for Gamm. Last year at Lake Land, Gamm hit 10 home runs, recorded 55 RBI and hit .369. Taking the junior college route isn’t a new concept for Gamm either. Her sister also played at Lake Land before transferring to San Diego State.
“After seeing my sister and her teammates and hearing about the program at Lake Land, I decided it would be best to go there,” Gamm said. “I got more playing time at Lake Land, and I was able to learn about myself more and where I got my confidence from.”
A California native, Gamm has gone through several personal adjustments in her athletic career and has had to adapt to different surroundings in the Midwest.
“Being more secluded around cornfields at Lake Land was fun,” Gamm said. “I like Indiana because you have back roads here, but you also kind of have a downtown life.”
Despite being from Virginia, Norton said she knew she wanted to be a Hoosier from an early age and said she enjoyed her first tournament with the team.
“Wherever I went I wanted to be taken care of, and I wanted to be supported , and I really felt that here,” Norton said. “I’m lucky to be a part of this.”
Gardner said the catching competition will continue through IU’s nonconference tournaments, with more of a balance in playing time expected this weekend at the University of Texas Tournament.
While the competition has been ongoing since the fall, Norton credits it with helping both players improve their games.
“Shayna is one of my best friends here, and I think we make each other better,” Norton said. “I think she covers bases well, and she helps me improve in that sense, and I know there are some things she looks to me for to improve on.”
