Keep up.
Her goal was to keep up with one of the most highly decorated pitchers in UF history in just her freshman year.
She did.
Sophomore Hannah Rogers, a finalist for Florida’s Gatorade Pitcher of the Year and an EA Sports Softball second-team All-American while at Lake Wales High, was brought to Gainesville to support then-senior and No. 1 starter, Stephanie Brombacher.
A year before, the Gators suffered without a reliable No. 2 pitcher. Brombacher carried the team to a third straight Women’s College World Series, but could not provide coach Tim Walton a title alone. Bringing in Rogers was just supposed to help relieve Brombacher of the stress she held onto in 2010.
Instead, Walton ended up splitting starts between Rogers, then a freshman, and Brombacher throughout last season. In this system, Rogers compiled 36 wins, 10 shutouts and 221 strikeouts, all UF freshman records.
“She got put in some trials last year and pitching in the [Women’s College World Series] definitely will benefit her in the long run,” Brombacher said. “She knows what it’s like pitching with the pressure on and she grew a lot her freshman season.”
Blossoming into the go-to pitcher for Florida in 2012, Rogers has much to look forward to at UF.
But the future of the program may be approaching quickly in her rearview mirror. Highly touted recruits, Alyssa Bache and Lauren Haeger, were recruited by Walton to push Florida to new heights.
“If you bring in players of equal or greater caliber than the players you already have,” Walton said, “it should build competition amongst pitchers and players altogether.”
Bache and Haeger were both nominated for the MaxPreps National Softball Player of the Year award and were named 2011 ESPN Rise Under Armour All-Americans. Hauling in pitchers of their caliber strikingly resembles Rogers coming to the aid of Brombacher and the Gators for the 2011 season.
However, having three young capable starters will change Walton’s strategy going into this season. And all three will have to compete for time on the mound.
“Players always ask, ‘What’s it going to take for me to get in the lineup?’ First, they have to have confidence in themselves,” Walton said. “And they have to get it done. I don’t care if we’re playing Long Island or if we’re playing Alabama, the first game and last game of our season.
“Every competitive situation is the exact same, you got to come through. If you can’t come through, then your opportunities will be a little less than those that do come through.”
Strengthened by the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, according to ESPN Rise, Walton now has an arsenal of pitchers at his disposal. And he said he won’t mind giving more playing time to those who deserve it.
“With the young players, comes expectations of playing in a lot of games,” Walton said. “So we’re just going to have to manage those expectations and try to get Alyssa and Lauren into as many successful situations as we can.”
Even with a potentially strong pitching staff, Walton does not plan to go with a rotation. Instead, he said he wants to lean on Rogers and use Bache and Haeger when he deems fit.
But Rogers said she expects to see an equal division of time on the mound.
“I feel like we’re all going to have equal playing time because we’re all great pitchers,” Rogers said. “If I’m having a bad day, then Lauren or Alyssa is going to come in and help me out, or if (they) are having a bad day, then we’re going to be there to help each other out.”
Not since 2006 have the Gators had three or more starters collect at least 10 starts in a season.
Walton, who took over as head coach in 2006, has mostly maintained a strong duo of starters, with one usually earning slightly more starts than the other. For the past several years, Brombacher has been the reliable rock that the team leaned on.
“The change is good for the program,” Brombacher said. “The pitching staff is young, but they’re going to get good experience and that’s going to help them in the later years. With three of them, they’re all going to get a decent amount of pitching time, which is crucial for them when in their older years.”
Last year, being the mentee, Rogers soaked up any advice and tips given to her by Brombacher. Now, with the departure of Brombacher, and Rogers suddenly thrust into a leadership position on a young team, Rogers has tried to pass on Brombacher’s knowledge to Bache and Haeger.
“Stephanie helped me out a lot last year, so I’m trying to do the same for them,” Rogers said.
And if any sophomore is right for this job, Brombacher believes it is Rogers.
“I believe she can do it, and hopefully what she learned last year she can help the freshmen learn this year.”
Having these freshmen come in is not just a one-way street. Rogers is there to help the youth adjust, while the newcomers are there to push Rogers.
Although sharing her starts potentially means Rogers’ numbers will undergo a significant drop from last year, she said she is fine with the move and is not threatened by having a strong class of pitchers behind her, despite the warnings of Walton.
She says help couldn’t hurt.
“It’s going to be great this year,” Rogers said. “It’s tough going through the season, like when Stephanie was hurt, doing it all by yourself.”
Carrying the burden of an entire team took its toll on Rogers while Brombacher was injured last season. She had to pick up the slack of the staff, giving her more innings pitched (265.2) and appearances (55) than any other freshman in UF history.
Although both Bache and Haeger have the potential to be the No. 1 starter for a number of schools around the nation, it isn’t playing time that motivates them. Instead, it’s winning.
When asked about possibly being discouraged with their current position on the pitching staff this season, Bache and Haeger responded with an emphatic, “No.”
“I have complete faith in our coaching staff and our team,” Haeger said. “We’re doing what we can to win. We’re here to back each other up.”
Rogers knows Walton has two potential All-Americans in his back pocket.
Breathing down her back.
Vying for a start.
Whoever performs is going to get the nod.
It’s a simple philosophy laid out by Walton. A philosophy that Rogers is sure to have had heard at this point.
Loud and clear.
There is a fine line between splitting starts with other pitchers and losing your job altogether. In order for Rogers to maintain her balancing act, she must simply perform well when given the call.
“It motivates me to work harder,” Rogers said. “Obviously they are really good pitchers. So it motivates me — a lot.”
Rogers cannot coast on last year’s success to maintain her No. 1 role this year. Instead, she must take the wheel and drive the Gators to the promised land of a national championship behind the strength of her arm.
If not, Rogers won’t be checking her rearview mirror for very long.
Entrenched as the No. 1 starter after a stellar freshman season, Gators sophomore pitcher Hannah Rogers (left) said she doesn’t mind sharing time this season with highly touted freshmen hurlers Alyssa Bache and Lauren Haeger.
