Suzie Rzegocki’s transition from the all-time leader in strikeouts among Illinois high school pitchers to college success at Purdue has come with one ironic twist.

Best known for the state-record 1,467 career strikeouts she recorded during her tremendous career at Lemont, Rzegocki’s most memorable win of her sophomore season at Purdue had nothing to do with her pitching prowess.

“We beat UCLA in the first game of the season,” Rzegocki said. “I didn’t pitch but I had the deciding hit (a two-run single in the fifth inning of the 2-1 Purdue win). I was just happy to know that I contributed to the success of the team.

“That was definitely a highlight, along with last year when we played Baylor. That was the first ranked team we beat (since 1999), and the first ranked team I beat as a pitcher.”
Whether it’s with her bat or more often her pitching arm, Rzegocki has continued the success that earned her honors as Illinois Softball Player of the Year and second-team All-American as a senior at Lemont.

“Knowing that I kind of dominated like that (at Lemont) was really a great accomplishment for me,” Rzegocki said. “I really appreciate all the awards I had and all the people who gave me recognition.”

The recognition has deservedly continued at Purdue.
After finishing with a 15-9 record and 2.55 ERA while pitching 168 innings as a freshman, Rzegocki has continued to make big strides this spring with a 22-11 record, 1.42 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 217 innings pitched.

Purdue enters its final regular-season series this weekend at home with a 27-18 record, 10-8 in the Big Ten.

Rzegocki’s increase in work and success this season has been notable, but she also quickly adjusted as a freshman to the talent level of the Big Ten and college softball’s 43 feet pitching distance (compared to 40 in high school).

“It was a big difference,” Rzegocki said, “but being able to start in the fall (an abbreviated schedule of games) helped a lot. Adjusting to 43 feet was definitely a little tough, but it was a little easier having that fall season under my belt.”

In the spring of 2008, Rzegocki earned third team all-Big Ten honors in a season that included five shutouts (including a one-hitter) and Purdue’s first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament.
That success carried over to the 2009 season opener Feb. 27 at No. 4-ranked UCLA, winners of 11 national championships over the years.

“We weren’t really expecting much,” Rzegocki said, “but we knew at the same time that we could compete with teams like that. We had confidence in ourselves.
“We beat UCLA, Northwestern (a 2-0 shutout) and some other top-25 teams, and we were ranked No. 23 ourselves for a week or so. But I think we could have done better.
“We’ve done well all season with really good teams, but we’ve struggled a little with teams below us. But we have done a lot better job towards the end of the season in beating teams we’re supposed to.”

Purdue’s up-and-down stretch included three early season losses in a row against Rutgers, Liberty and Bethune-Cookman, which was followed by a five-game winning streak.

Rzegocki has helped with Purdue’s improved late-season consistency. In a streak of three consecutive wins starting on April 25, she won twice at Penn State on a five-strikeout shutout and a 3-2 complete-game victory and followed with six strikeouts as the Boilermakers beat Illinois 4-1.
The sophomore’s complete-game total has jumped to 22 this spring, up from 14 as a freshman. She also is an excellent fielder, having committed just two errors in 113 career chances.

“Definitely freshman year I learned a lot in every aspect of softball, adjusting to the mound and to the better hitters,” Rzegocki said.

“And I’ve improved so much with the different pitches I’ve been throwing. I didn’t have a changeup in high school and hardly threw it last year, and my changeup is my best pitch this year. I’ve been getting a lot of strikeouts on that pitch.

“Pitching more innings this year, I knew I could do it and my coaches and teammates having a lot of faith in me gave me even more confidence,” she added. “Just being experienced with a year under my belt I knew I could pitch well and play up to the expectations of my coaches.”

Purdue earned a second straight NCAA bid, as they will play May 15 and 17 in the Louisville sub-regional against the host Cardinals, national power Arizona and Tennessee-Martin.

And beyond the 2009 season, the next two years should hold great things for Rzegocki and the Boilermakers — even as the hard-thrower also strives to raise the bar individually.

“The one thing I could definitely improve on is my walks (87 this year),” Rzegocki said. “That’s something I want to work on for next year.

“We’re going to have a lot of new people — we have eight or nine seniors this year,” she said. “That’s going to be tough losing them, but we have a lot of returning talent and I have a lot of faith in our coach’s recruiting.

“Beating the teams we have this year is a good building block for the future, and I think we’ll get a lot better.”