April 4, 2006

By Brett Ellis/Tribune Staff

A lot of softball players look at it as an insult when they are asked to bunt rather than being allowed to swing away.

Not Ashley Yount.

The Midland Lutheran College (Neb.) first baseman is tied for the Great Plains Athletic Conference lead with six sacrifice bunts on the season. She had seven sacrifices last year after posting a career-high 14 as a sophomore.

"It is my job in the two spot (in the order) to get the bunt down," Yount said. "When Coach gives me the bunt sign, I get excited because that's what I love to do. I know hitting No. 2 it's not something I get to do, it's something I have to do."

Midland coach Keith Kramme appreciates Yount's attitude toward that aspect of the game.

"It's not about numbers and not about stats for her," Kramme said. "She knows what her job is, and if she knows that putting a bunt down is for the benefit of the team, then she'll jump in there and do it."

This year, though, Yount also has come through when she's been allowed to swing the bat.

The senior is tied for second on the Lady Warriors with a .347 batting average and has driven in seven runs. Yount's previous best was a .278 average as a sophomore.

Yount attributes her work with her coaches, including former MLC standout Janelle Sager, with helping her to improve at the plate.

"She's taught me a lot and showed me a lot," Yount said.

Yount has been a fixture in MLC's lineup since her freshman season.

Midland needed to find a replacement at first base for Amber Grebert, and Yount earned the job with her performance during the fall of her first year.

She started all 46 games, batting .214 and driving in 10 runs.

More importantly, Yount was on a Midland team that finished 39-15-1 and reached the NAIA National Tournament in Alabama.

"It was scary and I was nervous, but for me to be a freshman and be starting at the NAIA National Tournament, it's a great honor for me to be able to say that's something I've done," she said. "I think that has a lot to do with where I'm at now."

As a sophomore, Yount was part of a Midland squad that set a school record with 45 wins, including a 23-1 performance in GPAC play.

Last season Yount played in 39 games for the Warriors and posted a .268 batting average. She also committed just one error in the field.

Yount now is just 35 putouts away from breaking MLC's career mark of 1,079 set by Bridget Knutzen from 1999-2001.

"She's got a great glove," Kramme said. "She follows the flight of the ball extremely well. She doesn't commit too early and that allows her to help the other infielders."

Yount takes pride in her defense as well.

"I feel my job is to field everything everyone throws to me," she said. "If I dig a ball, yeah that's great, but the fielder's the one who did all the work. I'm just the one who caught the ball and made the out."

While he's been impressed with Yount's improvement on the softball field, Kramme also has enjoyed watching her mature as a person.

"I think the thing I'm most proud of with Ashley is how much she's grown as an individual," Kramme said. "She was a very good person coming in, but she not only grew in confidence in softball, but also in the classroom."

Yount, who is an elementary education major with a coaching endorsement, is proud to have been on some of the most successful teams in school history.

"I am honored to say I was part of the team that went to Alabama and the teams that have won the GPAC and won regionals," Kramme said. "I don't take that for granted at all.

Click here to read the article on Freemont Tribune's Web site.