THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 6, 1995 TAG: 9506060379
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Hours before she was crowned prom queen at Friday's senior dance, Booker T. Washington's Donna Self became queen of the hill.
That afternoon, she quieted critics who said she couldn't win big games by pitching the Bookers to a 6-0 victory over Salem and their first region championship.
``She's had one unbelievable year,'' said first-year softball coach Paul Palombo, who also coached the Bookers to the Eastern District tennis championship with Self at No. 1 singles.
Self, who will attend Hampton University in the fall on a full softball scholarship, took home the district singles title and teamed up with Sharon McClannan for the doubles crown.
``I didn't expect to do anything in tennis,'' said Self, who earned the Norfolk Sports Club's Player of the Year honors in both tennis and softball. ``It was more for fun.''
If tennis is for fun, softball is a different story. The 5-foot-3 righthander's competitiveness on the diamond started out as sibling rivalry but has become a way of life.
Self began pitching seriously when she was 14. Older sister Callie was an ace at Booker T. in her day and was good enough to earn a full scholarship to Norfolk State.
``Everybody thought she was so great,'' Self said. ``I just had to beat her.''
Self led her Azalea Little League All-Star teams to five state titles and a divisional championship. Clinics, instructors and determination have helped her emerge as one of the best of a bumper crop of pitchers in South Hampton Roads.
``It's taken a lot of practice, a lot of working with batters and doing the same thing over and over again,'' she said.
``I'm smarter than I was. When I first started, I'd just throw for a strike. Now, I try and throw it where they can't hit it. I have a lot of confidence and control now.''
Translation: She sets batters up to Self-destruct.
With a handful of pitches, Self keeps hitters on a one-way track back to the dugout. Opponents are batting a lowly .105 against her. She has struck out 228 batters in 142 innings, pitched three no-hitters - two of which were perfect games - and allowed just 52 hits in fashioning a 0.52 ERA. And that's just her game 40 feet from the plate. She also is batting .453, with 24 RBIs.
``She plays a big role,'' Palombo said. ``And it's not just because of her pitching and hitting, but because of her leadership. Without her, we'd be in big trouble.''
The Bookers almost were. Before Palombo took the softball job, Self and her fastball were headed elsewhere. The day before she was to have her guardianship transferred so she could attend a school outside her home district, her grandfather passed away. Self decided to stay home to spend more time with her family.
Palombo, in turn, promised a more disciplined softball program. He brought in a pitching instructor, former Christopher Newport coach Bobby Wills, and challenged Self to be the best.
``He's real enthusiastic towards us,'' Self said of Palumbo. ``He's spitting fire before the game, and we get all aggressive and go out and play hard.
``The way I thought from the beginning and the way I think now is different. I used to think I had to strike everybody out. I didn't think we'd come together like we have.''
That coming together took a little longer than Self would have liked. A pair of regular-season losses to Granby and victories over traditionally weak teams left doubts as to how good she really was.
``People were saying, `If you're so good, why can't you do this and why can't you do that,' '' Palombo said. ``But it was up to the other kids to bring up their level of play, too, and they have.''
After a 4-1 loss May 16 to Granby that gave the Comets the regular-season title, Self and the Bookers have been unbeatable.
Booker T. defeated Maury, 10-2, and Lake Taylor, 8-1, to win the district title, then cruised through the region, beating Princess Anne, 4-1, last Wednesday and Salem on Friday.
Today the Bookers (20-3) will open state semifinal play when they meet Monacan at 5 p.m. at Princess Anne.
Booker T. again will try to administer a lesson in Self-respect. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Donna Self's Bookers open state softball semifinal play today
against Matoaca at Princess Anne High.
by CNB