ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608050066
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
THE VINTON HEAT has what it takes to succeed at the Dixie Belles Youth Softball 13-15 World Series in Cape Fear, N.C.
The Vinton Heat 13- to 15-year-old girls' softball team has all the attributes of a champion.
The Heat has great leadership, has survived rallies for dramatic victories and has overcome much adversity. But what kind of adversity does a team making its fourth trip to the Dixie Belles Youth Softball World Series in the past five years actually face?
``Slow pitching,'' said Kristin Shimp, a three-time world series participant. ``Some of the teams in the state don't have the pitching we do.''
Good pitching was one of the biggest reasons the Heat won the state championship two weeks ago. The squad is hoping to combine it with some timely hitting and excellent speed to make a run at the Dixie title. The world series runs today through Thursday in Cape Fear, N.C., with a field of 12 teams from 11 Southeastern states.
Cape Fear eliminated Vinton 7-6 in last year's tournament. ``They had one of the best pitching staffs I've seen,'' said Bob Cookston, the Heat's coach.
Vinton has quite a staff this season. The Heat has the luxury of using five pitchers, and sets a goal of having no more than two walks or two errors per seven innings. It almost always has met those standards.
That the Heat is advanced in its skills is understandable. Cookston holds workouts twice a week in the fall, and in the winter many of the girls build up their pitching arms by throwing at mattresses in their basements. Cookston offered his daughter, Meaghan, $100 if she could wear a hole in an old family mattress. She went into summer vacation with some spending money.
The secret of the team's young ace, eighth-grader Erin Smith, is a contraption she calls ``brick on a stick.'' It's a red brick linked to a 1-inch-thick dowel by a cable. She holds her arms out straight and twirls it in her palms to strengthen her forearms.
``I guarantee my daughter can do that more times than you,'' said Erin's father, assistant coach Bob Smith.
The 13 players on the Heat roster have been to the world series a combined 15 times. Shimp, Meaghan Cookston and Erica Thomas each have three appearances to their credit. That experience, plus an 11-10, seventh-inning state championship victory over Halifax County should serve the Heat well.
Of course, just as important is the Vinton team's musical taste. They insist on playing ``Macarena'' during each infield practice. The Heat's only loss in the postseason, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Halifax, came the one time they neglected to play Air Supply's ``Makin' Love Out of Nothing at All.''
Obviously, winning isn't Vinton's only tradition.
``Once you get a couple years, it falls in,'' Bob Cookston said. ``It's an expectation.''
LENGTH: Medium: 58 linesby CNB