The Pine Island senior knew that she better find one quickly or the powerful lineups among teams in the Hiawatha Valley League could cause trouble for her and her Panthers' teammates.
Pine Island softball coach Kim Jones has invested a ton of time into Mehrkens for the last six years. Whenever Mehrkens has had an issue on or off the field, Jones has been one phone call away. So when Mehrkens went to work to find a changeup, it was Jones who was right by her side. They tried eight different grips. None of them worked. Mehrkens just couldn’t get the changeup to really be a problem for opposing hitters.
Mehrkens and Jones weren't about to give up easily, though. They tried one more time with a different grip. It worked. The changeup came out of her hand looking like a fastball, but floating to and over the plate.
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"You see in her face, it was like she was doing cartwheels on the field,” Mehrkens said of Jones. "It was so funny. We’re like best friends. It’s awesome."
Jones was more excited than Mehrkens about the discovery, but the new addition to her pitching repertoire has helped Mehrkens transform into one of the top pitchers in the always-tough HVL.
She struck out 15 batters in a win against Hayfield on May 15 and also had 10 strikeouts against both Stewartville and Kasson-Mantorville. Mehrkens currently has a respectable 3.41 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 80 innings of work this year. She's averaging 11.38 strikeouts per seven innings.
Mehrkens’ connection with Jones certainly helps give her confidence when she steps into the circle. But her catcher, Madisyn Collins, has been one of her best friends since she moved to Pine Island when she was in eighth grade. They spend a ton of time in the offseason hitting together and Collins isn’t afraid to strap the catcher’s gear on and catch one of Mehrkens’ bullpen sessions.
They’re in sync constantly. Collins has faith that Mehrkens will command the strike zone. Mehrkens believes that if she spikes one in the dirt, Collins will be right there to block it.
"It’s a closer connection with her than pretty much any other catcher I’ve had,” Mehrkens said. "She can read me. If I'm starting to get frustrated with bad calls, she’ll call a timeout and joke around with me. She knows what I want to pitch and when I want to pitch it. She knows what’s not working too.”
Pine Island’s Bella Mehrkens (13) pitches during a softball game on Friday, April 30, 2021, at Triton High School in Dodge Center. (Traci Westcott / twestcott@postbulletin.com)
Pine Island has made a ton of strides since 2019, when it won just three games. Mehrkens was a sophomore on that team. Even though they didn’t get to play last year, the Panthers have already more than doubled that win total. They sit at 8-9 overall and 4-4 in the HVL, with a week remaining in the regular season.
Mehrkens is a big part of the turnaround.
"If you watched us our sophomore year, you probably would’ve been disappointed,” Mehrkens said. "We didn’t play as a team. Nobody talked or anything. This year, everyone came together as a team and we’ve played so much better. I think it’s just more us getting older and realizing that we’re all on the same team and we have to work together to win games.”
Mehrkens has done great work in the circle but she’s a dangerous hitter, too. She doubled twice against Cannon Falls star hurler Abby Breuer on May 15. She also had a five-hit performance in a big win against Triton on April 30, and Mehrkens is a power-hitting threat each and every time she steps to the plate. Mehrkens owns a sparkling .434 batting average with six doubles, one home run and 27 RBIs. Mehrkens has struck out just five times in 55 plate appearances this year.
The many hours spent with hitting coach Jeff Milene have paid off.
"My hitting was absolutely terrible and he fixed what was wrong with it and then I hit really well,” Mehrkens said.
And when she gets in the box, she’s not trying to coax a walk. Mehrkens isn’t afraid to expand the strike zone if that means she can give one a ride.
“I’ve had a few home runs where my coaches are like, ‘How did you even hit that?’” Mehrkens said. "Or like it’s two inches off the ground. If I get a 3-0 pitch sometimes, I just like to swing at it so I can stay in the box. There isn't any way I’m walking.”
There’s a joy that surrounds Mehrkens when she gets to step onto the field, and her softball journey will likely continue after high school. She is currently planning to play softball for RCTC next year, and a big role for the Yellowjackets could be in store as both a pitcher and a hitter.
But before she heads off to college softball, Mehrkens is hoping to lead Pine Island on a fun ride down the stretch. Zumbrota-Mazeppa is Pine Island’s arch-rival and Mehrkens is hoping for a chance to pitch against a program that she once grew up in.
Z-M is the cream of the crop in the HVL, so a win would prove that Pine Island’s 3-17 season is long gone, and winning ways are right around the corner.
"We really want to play them," Mehrkens said. "We really want to win."
Mehrkens will need her changeup to get past the Cougars. Good thing she has one now.
The Link LonkMay 23, 2021 at 09:16PM
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How hard work helped Pine Island's Bella Mehrkens break through a barrier - PostBulletin.com
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