“It’s a back and forth process, and it’s not always easy,” Whitton said. “But it’s been great.”
She takes her responsibilities seriously and tries to do “what she would have wanted captains to do when she was a freshman.”
Leading By Example
On the field, Whitton is as talented an all-around player as Harvard has ever had. Her pitching has improved with each year, and her ability at the plate places her among the best in the conference.
As a lefthanded pitcher on one of the deepest rotations in the league, Whitton holds the lowest ERA on the team. She has always been able to keep her opponents at bay but has not always gotten run support. Her misfortune last year resulted in losing a number of one-run games.
“I guess it’s just bad luck,” Whitton said.
For many of her starts, Whitton supplied the bulk of her own offense. In a key weekend series against Brown at the end of last year, Whitton was part of the six-run offensive assault in the first game, benefiting then-senior Chelsea Thoke’s efforts on the rubber.
In the second game, with Whitton shutting down the Bears on the mound, Harvard’s only runs resulted from Whitton’s bat. She hit a two-run home run and had an RBI single to ensure the win.
Whitton batted over .400 for most of last year. This year, her torrid start has set the pace for the Crimson, and Whitton seems to always be on base.
“I don’t look at the numbers,” Whitton said. “It can be so misleading to just go by stats. I don’t even read [Crimson] articles until the year is over. ”
For Whitton, the context of the hit or home run is what it’s all about. But even on that criterion, she is a star.
For example, Whitton’s walk-off home run to beat Maine last weekend is certainly as clutch a hit as a player can have in a game.
Whitton counters such talk by saying that she “probably got lucky.”
Even if luck had something to do with it, Whitton’s calm under pressure and ability to perform at the plate have enabled her to be the on-the-field captain that she wants to be.
“I like to think that I lead by example,” Whitton said.
As long as she stays consistent, something Allard has been working on with her captain, Whitton’s example should be enough to inspire an exciting Crimson season.