Mike Perniciaro came to Indiana State this year from an Indiana University program that set a school record for home runs, so Leslie Sims was a little concerned that the new coach might try to turn her into a power hitter.
But after watching Sims run, Perniciaro knew he had a gem of a slap-hitter, and so far this season, the sophomore second baseman from Hauser has proven him correct.
Sims goes into tonight’s game at Evansville leading the Missouri Valley Conference with a .421 batting average. She is 19 for 19 on stolen bases, ranking second in the MVC with the 19 steals. She is closing on in Indiana State’s single-season records for hits and runs scored and is on pace to set career records for hits, average and stolen bases.
“She’s been our catalyst at the top of the lineup,” Perniciaro said. “Our offense goes as Leslie goes. I told her from Day 1, her job is to put the ball on the ground because her speed is pretty elite. When she gets out of the box, and she’s flying down the line, she’s one of the best I’ve coached. She’s one of the special ones, for sure.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
That’s saying something, considering Perniciaro has spent half of his 22-year coaching career in the speed-rich SEC. But he spent the past three years as an assistant at IU, where the Hoosiers gained a reputation of playing longball.
The Sycamores have pounded 15 home runs in 44 games this season, but 53 of Sims’ 56 hits have been singles. The other three being doubles.
Perniciaro said he has work with Sims on swinging away to add that to her toolbox, but in most cases, the easiest way to get on is by slapping or bunting.
“He has been very flexible about whatever works for each individual,” Sims said.
Indiana State won only 16 games two years ago, the year before Sims arrived in Terre Haute. Last year, coach Shane Bouman was fired early in the season, and Tori Magner served as interim coach for the rest of the season, which ended with a 24-29 record.
The Sycamores are on the verge of eclipsing last year’s win total, sitting at 22-22 with eight games left in the regular season.
“It’s our coaching staff and the environment and the positive outlook that we have going into games,” Sims said. “I think we have proven to a lot of teams that we are capable of winning, and you can tell a difference in a lot of people from last year to this year. We expect to win now. I think we can beat any team in our conference as long as we play our game and play well.”
Indiana State showed that two weeks ago when it went to Purdue and split a pair of games with the Boilermakers. The Sycamores won the opener 8-6 before falling 3-2 in the second contest.
“It wasn’t a disappointment because we played well both games, but I felt like we could have won both games,” Sims said. “It was a huge motivation thing, and it showed us we could play with big teams and big schools like that.”
That may bode well for Indiana State, which is likely to earn a bid in this year’s MVC Tournament after not making it last year. The Sycamores are fourth in the conference with a 9-10 record, and eight of the 10 teams in the MVC make the tourney. The winner goes to the NCAA Tournament.
Making the MVC tourney would be a big boon for ISU, which features only one senior, three juniors, six sophomores and eight freshmen and was picked to finish last in the conference.
“I think the biggest thing that we preach as a staff is to relax and play the game and have fun while you’re competing,” Perniciaro said. “It’s probably a more relaxed atmosphere than what we were used to in the past.”
Sims, who majors in nursing, likes that philosophy, especially with her sister Tessa set to join her on the Sycamores next season.
“It’s so nice to be able to play a game and enjoy what you’re doing,” Sims said. “My coaches have stressed that softball is a game of failure, and when you do fail, you can learn from it and do better. I definitely think it’s a lot more fun because of the coaching staff we have this year and the girls we have this year.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Leslie Sims” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Name: Leslie Sims
High school: Hauser
College: Indiana State
Year: Sophomore
Height: 5-foot-5
Position: Second base
Key stats: Leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a .421 batting average, ranks fourth in the MVC with a .480 on-base percentage, is 19 for 19 on stolen bases
[sc:pullout-text-end]
