Maverick spotlight: pitcher Libby Bemis

Junior right-handed pitcher, Libby Bemis, has helped the Mavericks to 21 of their 44 wins and has only four losses in the 2017 season.

The Osceola, Iowa-native has been playing softball since she was eight-years old, spending all 12 years in the circle.

Bemis started her first year as a Maverick with a 17-6 record over 168 innings in a total of 33 appearances. She totalled a 2.58 earned run average (ERA) with 13 complete games. Throwing a “no-hitter” against Merrimack, the elementary education major tallied 133 strikeouts, with a season-high of 10 batters retired against Sioux Falls, she held the opposing batters to a .248 average. Bemis also received NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 16, 2015 and earned Second-Team All-NSIC honors.

“Softball has helped me in many ways off the field. The most important thing I have learned is teamwork,” Bemis said. “I am able to work well with others in a wide range of settings. At a job, I am able to collaborate well with others. Time management has also been helpful off the field. I am able to know what I need to get done and how much time I have to do it. Some people might not think about this, but accountability has been important to me off of the field. Taking accountability for actions and what is being said is important for anything on or off the field.”

Despite her overall success in the program, Bemis says that her biggest obstacle would be coming off of a few-game losing streak and figuring out what it is that is going to make her better to start a winning streak again.

Bemis finished her sophomore season with a 14-10 record in 31 appearances over 25 starts, with 12 complete games. She totaled four shutouts over the 148.2 innings earning a 2.31 ERA. She managed to improve her opposing batting average to a .208 clip while retiring 121 batters. She also improved to a career-high 11 strikeouts and threw her second “no-hitter’ against Wayne State while earning another Second-Team All-NSIC Honors.

Inspired by her older brother, she “plays for him every single day because he was never able to get to a competitive level,” Bemis said. “My older brother who has a developmental disability was never able to excel in sport even though he loves everything to do with them. He is my rock, and he is what keeps me going when things get rough because I know that things could always be worse than whatever is happening at that moment in time.”

Bemis has gotten her junior year off to an impressive start, earning a 1.64 ERA over 137 innings and an impressive 137 strikeouts so far, while keeping opposing batters to a .198 average. She hopes to personally become an All-Conference and All-Region pitcher while ultimately becoming an All-American before her last year as a Maverick. “In respect to team goals, I expect nothing less out of this amazing team than making it to the World Series. We just need to take it one step at a time and that will be what is going to get us there. Being ranked in the top-four going into regionals and then winning out and continuing what we need to do to make it to the World Series.”

Bemis and the Mavericks take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks today in Iowa at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.