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05/10/2018 12:00 AMAddy Bullis is making quite a name for herself as a member of the Valley Regional softball squad. After having a great freshman year in 2017, Addy has picked up right where she left off and is in the midst of a stellar sophomore campaign.
Last season, Addy won 13 games and struck out 157 batters in 145 innings on her way to making the All-Shoreline Conference First Team. She also had 33 hits for a .407 batting average and wound up winning the Warriors’ Most Valuable Player Award.
Now a sophomore, Addy is continuing to rack up the victories as she has nine thus far this spring. Opponents are hitting below .200 versus Addy, who threw a no-hitter in a 16-0 victory versus Portland on April 23. The game was called after five innings due to the mercy rule and, when it was finished, Addy was surprised to find out that she hadn’t allowed a hit.
“Before the game, I just warmed up like normal and made sure my pitches were working. During the game, I realized that I was doing well, but I didn’t know I was throwing a no-hitter,” Addy says. “After the game, my coaches and teammates told me, and it was a surprise to me.”
When Addy takes the hill, she tries to hone in on the catcher’s mitt and the type of pitch that her battery mate is calling for her to throw. Carlee Kirla was behind the plate when Addy tossed her no-hitter, and the pairing had great synergy throughout the day.
“When I get on the mound, I get in a zone and block everything out. I focus on me and the catcher and make sure I can hit my pitches,” Addy says. “Carlee was catching, and she calls the game. She does a really good job calling the pitches. I don’t shake a lot of pitches off. She knows what I like to throw, which is good.”
A lot of Addy’s success stems from the wide variety of offerings that she can show a hitter in any given at-bat. Addy’s repertoire features a fastball, a curveball, a backdoor curve, a riser, and a changeup.
“I try to make myself unpredictable, so they don’t know what I’m going to throw,” says Addy, who lives in Ivoryton. “If it’s a lefty, I like to throw my curveball and make them chase. Righties, I throw my backdoor curve, along with my rise ball. I use my rise ball when I’m up in the count to get batters chasing. My curveball really curves out on lefties, so they can’t get the bat on it.”
As her numbers show, Addy likes to go for the strikeout, but she also knows that she needs the support of the fielders behind her. If someone commits an error, Addy helps her teammate shake it off by providing some friendly words of encouragement.
“Especially from a pitcher, you have to let the fielders know you have their back,” Addy says. “If one of us makes an error, I try to stay as upbeat as possible. I say, ‘You got the next one. You can do it,” to keep everyone positive. You have to make people think they can do it.”
Head Coach Ken Wilson appreciates how hard Addy works throughout the year and believes that her dedication to softball is paying major dividends for the Warriors. Wilson says that Addy’s production as a pitcher and at the plate are matched by her competitive intensity.
“Addy is a very determined and dedicated softball player. She takes pitching lessons and batting lessons. She throws in the offseason. She throws 700 pitches a week to stay in shape and works on different pitches. She’s stronger from last year to this year. She’s matured and developed as a player,” Coach Wilson says. “She’s a force both pitching and offensively. She’s a threat with the bat in her hand. She could play two other positions as well, but she concentrates on pitching. She’s passionate about the game. She leaves it all on the field and plays every game like it’s her last.”
Addy hopes to play softball in college, and so she’s on the field year-round in order to stay sharp. During Valley’s offseason, she plays for a U-18 travel softball squad, the Rhode Island Thunder. It takes an hour-and-a-half for Addy and her family to drive to practice, but Addy says it’s well worth it, because she’s gaining valuable experience that can only increase her chances of competing at the next level.
“I want to play in college. That’s one of my goals,” says Addy. “I make new friends, meet new people out of state, and talk to different people. I get to play up to the college level and play against really tough competition.”