Schaus steps out of Snyder's shadow

As a freshman, junior pitcher Kristen Schaus surpassed Princeton's single season strikeout record and was universally acknowledged as the second best pitcher in the Ivy League. On most teams, she would have been the No. 1 pitcher. Most teams didn't have Erin Snyder '06.

"Erin [Snyder] was easily one of the top NCAA pitchers in the country," Schaus said. "To be able to compete and hold my own against her made me very proud."

Schaus was given two years to develop while pitching behind Snyder, who also broke the single season strikeout record, exceeding Schaus' total. Now that Snyder has graduated, Schaus has become the No. 1 pitcher for the Tigers. Stepping out of the shadow of her former teammate, Schaus still looks to her as a role model.

"Snyder set a great example for me," Schaus said. She was so stoic out on the mound. I looked to her as a leader, and I hope that some of the younger girls can now look to me that way."

Schaus should have no doubt that her teammates look to her to set the tone on the field. In fact, they don't really see any differences between her game and Snyder's.

"Erin and Kris pitch a similar-style game," junior infielder Beth Dalmut said. "They are both strikeout pitchers, so the transition this year has not been hard at all."

As a freshman and sophomore, she may have looked like the No. 2 pitcher to outsiders because she started the second games of doubleheaders, but head coach Maureen Barron '97 and Snyder never viewed Schaus that way.

"Coach Barron always referred to us as the No. 1 pitcher and the No. 1A pitcher," Snyder said. "The order we pitched was based on the fact that I played in the field when I wasn't pitching, so there was never a competition to be number one."

While there may not have been a competition between the pitchers in the locker room, there certainly was competition in the record book. In the last two seasons, both pitchers topped the school's single season strikeout record, with Snyder outdoing Schaus both years.

With Snyder gone, Schaus isn't letting the pressure get to her.

"This year I'm having a lot of fun," Schaus said.

Of course, she is used to being relied upon in the clutch. Schaus grew up in Naples, Fla., where the weather is warm and softball dominates. She became her high school team's starting pitcher as a freshman and led her team to three state Final Four appearances. This impressive performance earned her an even more astounding four All-State team nods and ranked her as one of the best high school pitchers in the country.

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When college recruiting began, Schaus knew exactly the type of school she was looking for.

"I wanted to go to a university where I could take advantage of an amazing academic opportunity," Schaus said.

When Barron and the Tigers came calling, she made the trek to visit and was hooked.

Stepping into the shoes of a Division I collegiate athlete might have been daunting for some, but Schaus took it all in stride.

"Freshman year was relatively easy," Schaus said. "No one was expecting anything, and I just came out and did what I had been doing."

This relaxed and confident attitude, combined with tremendous skill, catapulted her to the top of the Ivy League stat chart almost immediately. After being named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2005, Schaus had bigger shoes to fill coming into her sophomore year. The bar was raised, and she knew it.

"I felt a lot of pressure from myself," Schaus said. "I wanted to improve upon my previous performances and keep pushing to get better."

She succeeded, improving her strikeout total as the team won its second straight Ivy League title.

On paper, it may look like the Tigers (13-18 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) have gotten off to a rough start this year, with an overall record under .500, but Schaus points to the fact that Princeton has been playing topnotch competition so far this season.

"We are playing teams like the University of Florida, University of Southern Florida and Maryland, who are some of the top teams in the country," Schaus said.

Regardless of the reasons for the team's slow start, Schaus also admits to the frustration that losses bring.

"This year's been a struggle," Schaus said. "But I'm confident that things will start clicking because of the tremendous talent we have on the team."

Despite the team's difficulties, perhaps this struggle is exactly what she needed in order to take the next step towards getting better on the mound.

"This season has allowed me to learn that I can't put too much pressure on myself," Schaus said. "I can't control everything, and I have to let some things go. I'm starting to loosen up, and that will translate into an ability to pitch better in games later on."

Perhaps "later on" is coming sooner than Schaus may have thought. This weekend, she opened Ivy League play with two solid wins against Brown and Yale.

"Kris pitched an amazing game [Saturday] against Brown," Dalmut said. "She stepped into the Ivy League portion of our season with a presence."

Only a special type of player can bring a certain "presence" to her team in the way that Schaus has managed. She has the mentality of a warrior and the heart of a champion. That deadly combination should stand both her and her team in good stead as they continue their Ivy League competition this season.

"I'm looking forward to carrying the load of the goto player," Schaus said.

And isn't that what being a true leader is all about?