Stephanie Comeaux stands in the pitcher’s circle and sizes up the batter. She takes the signal and winds up as the batter looks for the ball. The neon orb disappears from the batter’s view and Comeaux releases the ball from behind her back with perfect aim. The stunned batter doesn’t know what hit her but hears the umpire say, “Strike three.”
Comeaux is only a freshman on the Bulldog softball team, but the pitcher and her trick pitch are already making an impact. She is 7-5 on the year with 34 strikeouts in 18 appearances.
The behind-the-back pitch started out by accident, but has turned into a unique weapon in Comeaux’s arsenal.
“It was just something I just did one day while I was playing around with my Dad in the backyard,” Comeaux said. “I was really just kidding, but Dad said maybe we should practice this.”
Comeaux and her father practiced the pitch at close range first, and then slowly moved farther away as she got better control. By 10th grade, the Lucedale native was using it in her games at Central High School. The only problem was at that time the pitch was illegal in Mississippi high school softball.
“I had to be careful with it,” Comeaux said. “I would only use it with no one on, because there was always a chance they could call it an illegal pitch.”
Bulldog head coach Jay Miller says the pitch is an extreme rarity in the collegiate game.
“I’ve never seen anyone do it in an actual game. I’ve seen pitchers play around with it in practice and barn-shows where they perform for entertainment, but I’ve never seen another player with the control to use it in a game.”
The pitch, once mastered, has very real advantages in game situations. Miller says the pitch offers an alternative to the standard off-speed pitch.
“We like to use it in situations where you would normally through a changeup,” Miller says. “But you have to pick your spots. We want to try to catch people off guard, but only in situations where if it doesn’t work, it can’t hurt us.”
Not everyone is a fan of Comeaux’s claim to fame, however. Bulldog catcher Blair Brown says that opposing batters are not particularly fond of the pitch.
“It is so funny to watch their reactions,” Brown laughs. “Most of them just smirk at her, and some give her dirty looks, but I’ve never seen anyone get a hit off of it.”
Brown added, “The first time I ever saw the pitch was actually as a batter. She struck me out.”
Miller has bright hopes for Comeaux. As a freshman, she represents a major part of the future for the Bulldogs’ squad, and has begun making a name for herself with more than just a trick pitch.
“(Comeaux) is one of three freshman pitchers that we have this year,” Miller says, “and with the transition from high school to the SEC there are going to be ups and downs; it’s all part of the maturation process. She’s thrown some great innings for us this year, both starting and relieving. As the year goes on, we’re just hoping that those innings will help her get better, stronger, and tougher.”