Senior center fielder shows pop for first-place Hampton softball team

By: John Grupp
Saturday, April 20, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Hampton’s Jessica Lange made a name for herself doing the little things for the Talbots softball team.

The fleet-footed senior center fielder earned all-Section 3-4A honors last season thanks to excellent defense and being skilled at bunting and putting the ball in play.

“I used to be a really big bunter,” she said. “I didn’t hit that well.”

But Lange has learned that hitting home runs is a lot more fun than laying down bunts.

In a come-from-behind 6-5 victory at Blackhawk on April 9, Lange homered for the first time in her high school career, driving a three-run shot over the center-field wall. The two-out, two-strike homer off Blackhawk junior Peyton Kimberlin finished off an eight-pitch at-bat and capped a five-run sixth inning for the rallying Talbots (5-1, 4-0 of April 16).

“It felt amazing,” Lange said. “It felt like the best hit I’ve ever hit. I didn’t know it was over (the fence) when I was rounding the bases, but around second base, I saw the umpire do the circle with his hand. That’s when I realized it.”

Lange’s teammates, meanwhile, were ecstatic for their typically light-hitting No. 8 hitter.

“They were screaming and jumping up and down,” Lange said. “I was so happy. I almost started crying with the emotions. It was amazing.”

Hampton first-year coach Kate Hedderman also took great joy in the moment.

“She crushed that ball,” Hedderman said. “Then I found out it was her first (home run). I had no idea. … She was so excited. I can still see her face rounding second base.”

The Talbots have a lot to smile about. They defeated then-WPIAL Class 4A No. 2 Chartiers Valley, 9-7, on April 15 as part of a four-game winning streak that lifted them into sole possession of first place in Section 3-4A and the No. 3 ranking in the Trib Class 4A softball poll.

Lange, a Hampton cheerleader and a member of the school’s competitive spirit squad, spent many days this offseason working on her strength and her swing. The 5-foot-4 right-handed hitter, who plays travel ball for the PA Stingrays, became more of a threat at the plate.

She barely missed a home run on a previous at-bat against Blackhawk before her tie-breaking shot.

“I’ve seen significant improvement,” Lange said. “My dad and I hit all the time, in my backyard or at a facility in a cage. I feel the strength work is definitely working with me and a bunch of my teammates. You can tell there is more power with all of us.”

Hedderman knows Lange’s previous role involved more small-ball offense — “That’s what she’s been used for” — but the former Slippery Rock slugger is giving Lange more encouragement to swing away.

“Because of her speed and because she sees the ball well, she’s bunted a lot,” Hedderman said. “She’s kind of happy with little hits. But Jessi has that potential to hit for distance. We believe in her bat.

“To see her do what I know she can do just warmed my heart. That was the coolest part about the (home run). I know it’s there. I’ve seen her do it.”

Lange has had big hits before. Her two-run single in a 6-1 WPIAL Class 4A win over Greensburg Salem last season helped the Talbots to their first playoff victory since 2019.

But the go-ahead blast against Blackhawk remains unmatched. Lange, who will attend Kent State, was hard-pressed to recall a more memorable moment in her life.

“Probably ranks in, like, the top one,” she said. “It was so cool to experience that, in a really close game and help the team.”

Tags: Hampton