Smackover coach Dennis Steele had a stable of talented, experienced pitchers this season. But when the stakes were at the highest, a freshman’s number often got called.
Ninth-grade pitcher Malorie Pullin was the Lady Bucks’ go-to in the circle down the stretch of a 26-4 season. The righty finished with a 9-2 record, recording 124 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched.
It was quite the rookie campaign after injuries sustained in an ATV accident last Thanksgiving put her season in jeopardy.
“I didn’t even know if she’d be able to play because of that accident last year, that four-wheeler accident. She got banged up pretty good,” said Steele. “It’s a credit to her working hard, going to rehab and getting that fixed and then working and working and working.”
Pullin would walk just 19 batters on the season and surrender a measly 41 hits. Those numbers came against Smackover’s toughest opponents.
Pullin struck out 12 and allowed four hits in a 5-3 win over Ashdown in the championship game of the regional tournament. She fanned 10 and surrendered four hits in a 12-2 state-tournament win over Rivercrest. In the season-ending 3-0 loss to Paris, Pullin struck out 10 batters and gave up just six hits. She kept the Lady Bucks to a 1-0 deficit until two runs scored in the seventh.
Offensively, she batted .368 with two home runs.
Despite her injuries, Pullin did not miss a game. Lydia Pullin was proud of the way her younger sister fought through the adversity and helped the Lady Bucks.
“I think it actually fueled her,” Lydia said of Malorie’s setback. “It motivated her to get better at pitching. Before that, she was good, but she wasn’t as good as she was this year.”