Heinbechner Takes Control

MOORPARK —  Softball pitcher Erin Heinbechner realizes that as the stakes rise her margin for error shrinks.

“One bad pitch can ruin a game, especially now,” the Moorpark High sophomore said. “The playoffs aren’t harder for me physically, but mentally I have to work really hard to get the ball to go where it needs to go. There’s a lot of pressure.”

Never more than today at 2:30 when Moorpark (19-8) meets second-seeded Crossroads (21-9) in the Southern Section Division V championship game at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.

Heinbechner (17-4) has been the ace of an unseeded Moorpark team that won its fifth consecutive league title before making a surprising playoff run. But her superlative season was far from guaranteed considering she spent most of her freshman campaign riding the bench.

The 5-foot-8 right-hander inherited her spot in the pitcher’s circle after Mindy Penrod completed her eligibility. Penrod plays for Iowa State.

“[Heinbechner] was a question mark because she didn’t do a lot of pitching last year,” Moorpark Coach Tom Humphreys said. “I knew she was going to be my starter, but I didn’t know how she’d hold up under the workload and pressure.”

Early on, Heinbechner and the Musketeers occasionally performed like Mickey and the Mouseketeers. Moorpark lost four of its first five games, then committed seven errors in a loss to Santa Clara early in the Frontier League season. Heinbechner missed the game because of a leg injury.

“I was kind of uncertain at the beginning,” Heinbechner said. “I knew about the [previous league] titles and I felt if I didn’t help win another one it would look bad.”

The Musketeers have not lost since their stumble against Santa Clara, capturing a fourth consecutive Frontier League title to go with the 1992 Tri-Valley League crown. Moorpark has defeated Immaculate Heart, Chadwick, Kern Valley and Riverside Notre Dame in the playoffs, advancing to its first Southern Section title game since 1992, when the Musketeers lost to La Reina, 5-2.

As the season has progressed, Heinbechner’s confidence has increased and her competitive nature has become more evident.

“When things start to get tough her expression changes,” Humphreys said. “She grits her teeth, sets her jaw and you can see she’s thinking, ‘That’s enough of this, let’s get the game won.’ ”

Heinbechner relies on a repertoire of six pitches she has learned from private coaches. During games, Moorpark assistant Steve Lopez calls the pitches and their locations. Heinbechner said she has learned to trust his judgment.

“The one time I decided to shake off a pitch, Calabasas outfielder [Keyna Bell] hit a home run,” Heinbechner said, laughing. “I learned my lesson.”

Humphreys is impressed by Heinbechner’s pinpoint control.

“She locates the ball where we ask her to put it and that’s all a coach can ask for,” Humphreys said. “If it’s the right pitch in the right place and they still hit it that’s our problem, not hers.”

Heinbechner has had few troubles the last two months. She brings an 0.85 earned-run average, 159 strikeouts in 149 innings and 10 shutouts into the title game. Humphreys said Heinbechner is also among Moorpark’s top six hitters, but he has not permitted her to bat during the last part of the season.

The policy stems from the 1994 playoffs when Penrod, Moorpark’s only pitcher, was injured while running the bases in a quarterfinal game against Oak Park. The Musketeers were leading, 5-0, but lost without their ace.

Although sophomore designated hitter J.J. Jaegge also has pitched in several games this season, Humphreys knows Heinbechner is indispensable.

Even without Heinbechner’s bat, the Musketeers have plenty of firepower. Junior center fielder Tracey Milburn is batting .469 with 20 runs batted in and led off three consecutive midseason games with home runs. She also has stolen 27 bases.

Her sister, Tina, the left fielder and the team’s only senior, is batting .410 with 17 RBIs. Other standouts include designated hitter Jaegge (.440) and sophomore third baseman Meaghan Finnerty (.469, 17 RBIs, 13 stolen bases).

“I think this team is more balanced [than last year’s team],” Humphreys said. “We have more-consistent hitting from the first person in the order to the ninth. We just don’t have the depth at pitcher.”

With Heinbechner, a staff of one has been enough.