Jeane Drury's always had some pop in her bat but never this much.
As of Thursday, April 19, Drury, the former Morris Catholic High School standout, had nine home runs to lead the Pace University softball team.
With one more, the freshman shortstop will break the record for most home runs in a season.
"I'm very surprised by it," Drury said. "I wasn't expecting it. It makes sense, though, because we worked out a lot in the fall. I got stronger. My swing was changed so it's a little longer. I have more power on the ball."
A Flanders resident, Drury is among Pace's RBI leaders with 26. She is the only one on the team to play in all 44 games for Pace (27-17). She leads in runs scored and has a .333 average.
Drury batted eighth for a good portion of the season. Last week, Drury was moved into the No. 3 spot.
Getting the home run record would "be cool," she said but she's not going to think about the possibility very much.
"Right now, we're concentrating so much on the postseason," Drury said. "All I care about is doing what I can to help the team."
Sophomore shortstop Danielle DeFeo continues to climb the NCAA hitting chart, holding the seventh-highest average in the country at .530.
By going 6 for 8, DeFeo, of Andover, raised her average 19 points and jumped over nine players. DeFeo boasts the highest average (.514) of any shortstop in the country and is also among the national leaders in on-base percentage. She stands No. 30 on that list at .544.
DeFeo, a graduate of Newton High School, has 55 hits in 107 at-bats and four walks. Her slugging percentage is .523 for the Ducks (12-16).
