When you think Carson High softball over the past four years, the name Mandy Carvin comes to mind.
The blade-thin right-handed pitcher, despite battling tendinitis in her right shoulder the last two years, has been a workhorse throughout her career with the Senators, and has had a big hand in the success the Senators have enjoyed.
Now, she would like nothing better than to lead the Senators to their third trip to the regionals in four years.
"I've had a lot of fun (this year)," said Carvin, one day after throwing three innings in Carson's 12-1 five-inning win over South Tahoe last Thursday. "It's my senior year and I'm trying to make the most of it."
And she has. With an unproven defense behind her, Carvin has carved out a 6-5 record with a 1.49 ERA, including three shutouts. In 84 2/3 innings, she has allowed 73 hits and averages 6 1/2 strikeouts per game.
She does it with guile, not overpowering speed. She relies on control because her slender body can only generate so much velocity on the ball, though she has generated more velocity each year. She also does her job with poise.
"I can hit my spot," Carvin said. "Pretty much that started this year. I can hit my spots where my dad wants me to.
"I don't get angry (about errors). I just laugh it off. I think that's a good (trait) to have."
Her dad, Bob, has been the Senators' pitching coach the past three years.
"I preach location, rotation, rotation and location," the elder Carvin said. "She does it quite well. She hits her spots."
It shows the maturity she's acquired since she started pitching about seven years ago. She doesn't try to do things she's incapable of doing. Instead, she refines what she can do.
She credits her dad for her success. She smiles like a kid that had her hand caught in the cookie jar when asked if there were problems on the field working with her dad.
"When I first started, all we did was argue," Carvin said. "I didn't know what I was talking about but I acted like I did. He's a pretty smart guy. I owe a lot to him, He never gave up on me."
"When they are little, they believe in you," the elder Carvin said. "When they get to be between 14 and 16, they think they know everything. It's been a pretty good deal. It's been fairly easy to coach her."
Part of that is her demeanor. Carvin is easy going, loves to laugh, and you can hear her high-pitched voice all the time in the dugout.
One of her biggest fans is head coach Scott Vickrey, who has been Carson's head coach the past two years.
"I've seen her grow every year," Vickrey said. "I have confidence with her in the circle. Obviously in the big games, she's the one that has the ball.
"We've really been watching her closely (because of the shoulder problems). We've been resting her whenever we can, so we can pitch her at crucial times."
A third generation pitcher at Carson High - her grandfather pitched for the Senators and Bob was a member of the school's 1972 state championship team -Carvin likes to be out there during crunch time. She has pitched most of the big games over the last three years except when the tendinitis has forced her to the sidelines like it did the last half of the season.
That might have been the most miserable period of her young life. No athlete likes to sit and not contribute, and Carvin was no exception. The last half of last season saw her in a cheerleading role, and Carson failed to make the playoffs for the first time in her tenure.
"It was horrible," Carvin said. "You look out there and know you can beat them and we lost.
"I just had to shut it down; just had to stop. The doctors though it best. They said it was tendinitis and that I had a little tear in my rotator cuff. They said if I kept throwing it would have been worse."
So, for the first time since she was 7 or 8, she had the summer off.
"It was different," she said. "I never had so much time to do what I wanted to do."
She came back this year determined to have a big year, knowing that she would have to carry the load, but tendinitis has popped up a bit. She left games against Dayton and South Tahoe with early leads.
"When I don't pitch, I feel bad," she said. "Our freshmen have worked real hard, but don't have the experience. I want to pitch as much as I can. It's hard when I'm throwing a game and it pops up."
One of the things Carvin would like to accomplish before she hangs up her cleats and pursues an education at the University of Nevada, is to pitch a "a really good game."
"I've won games," Carvin said. "I want to win a game where I have no regrets about what I did; what pitches I threw. I always play it over in my mind. I've always been that way."
And, no doubt she'd like to hang an "L" on arch-rival Douglas before the end of the season.
n Darrell Moody can be reached at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com.
