Moon Township, Pa. – As a prodigious power hitter since her youth,
Olivia Lorusso has experienced the euphoria of a home run trot too often to count.
To hear this junior third baseman on the
Robert Morris University softball team tell it, it feels like walking on air.
"Best feeling in the world," she said. "In that moment, you've accomplished everything you needed to accomplish. You awarded your team with at least a run, which sometimes can be the difference between winning and losing. The hard work paid off. You capitalized on that pitch in that moment."
Lorusso has launched nine homers this season, leaving her two shy of tying the single-season school record set by Kali Byers in 2003. With 16 games remaining, plus the postseason, Lorusso could potentially shatter the mark by a wide margin.
Not that she's keeping track.
"To be honest, I haven't even given it much thought," said Lorusso, a graduate of nearby Canon-McMillan High School who also leads the Colonials in RBI (29) and doubles (9) while ranking second in batting average (.323). "I approach things game by game with a goal of helping my team win. I don't go up there trying to hit home runs. I just want to chip away and do what's best for the team."
Veteran coach
Craig Coleman, M.D., who said Lorusso could be "scary good" as a senior, regularly marvels at the right-handed pull hitter's skyrocketing swats.
Yet, it was a non-homer by Lorusso that left him speechless.
It happened in the Northeast Conference tournament last year. Facing Saint Francis U in an elimination game, RMU trailed by one in the bottom of the 10th inning. With two runners on, the Red Flash decided to intentionally walk Lorusso. However, when the count got to 3-0, she looked over at Coleman and he gave her a nod.
What happened next was the stuff of RMU legend.
"She didn't just swing at the next pitch, she swung with the intention of making contact," said Coleman, who, earlier that day, suggested that Lorusso take a few cuts the next time Saint Francis U tried to intentionally walk her. "The pitch was in the other batter's box, but she's strong and long. Her reach was just enough to make contact and produce a (double) to tie the game."
The crowd couldn't believe its eyes, Coleman said.
"When you listen to the video, you hear people screaming, 'Oh my God, Oh, my God," Coleman said, laughing. "That hit tied the score and kept things going so we could eventually win it in the 15th. Amazing. For her to have the confidence to do that, and the strength to do that, well ... That's Liv. That's just Liv."
Amazing athletic feats are nothing new to Lorusso, who drove in the game-winning run against Bryant hours before her heroics versus Saint Francis U. This is a former high school standout who amassed more than 1,000 points and 800 rebounds in basketball, was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year in volleyball and led the softball team to two district titles, one state title and one state runner-up.
She could have played any of the three sports in college, but softball has always been her first love.
Even when she combined to strikeout 64 times in her first two seasons at RMU, there was no doubt that a star would soon emerge.
"I was the strikeout queen," said Lorusso, who's struck out 16 times this season. "The thing was, I didn't know it at the time, because I don't look at individual statistics during the season. I just play. Craig and (assistant) Keri (Meyer) talked to me about it, and it kind of surprised me. But it's gotten a lot better. I now only swing at pitches that I like. I won't swing at junk pitches or chase anything high like I used to. I've learned to have a better eye at the plate."
Despite those early swings and misses, Lorusso showed signs of greatness from the outset. As a freshman, she finished in the top four at RMU in homers (4), RBI (20) and walks (15). She was twice named NEC Rookie of the Week.
As a sophomore, she led the Colonials in walks (18), while ranking third in homers (4) and on-base percentage (.339). She also tied the school single-game record with seven RBI against Kent State.
Crediting her dad, Bart, and her youth coaches, Jon Weston and Stephen Moskal, for refining her game, Lorusso is finding her stride, and hitting stroke, in her third year with the program.
"As a junior, more is expected of you," she said. "I like when things are expected of me. My confidence level has doubled, and that's why my home run totals have doubled. I like when people count on me."
Away from the field, Lorusso is the exemplary student. She carries 3.54 grade point average (GPA) in accounting and plans to complete her master's degree as part of RMU's integrated program next year.
Amazingly, she is taking 18 credits this semester, yet still finds time to swing for the fences on game days.
"It's a lot of work, no question," said Lorusso, who spurned offers from Pitt and Marist to attend RMU. "But it's also well worth it. Definitely well worth it."
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