Transition to Hot Corner Not Fazing RHS Grad

Kelly Hommen had never played third base before she arrived at The College of New Jersey.

She was always a shortstop, but when she stepped on the Ewing, NJ campus in the 2009-10 season, there was no doubt she had to move over to third base while her Ridgewood teammate Ellen Seavers was ensconced at shortstop.

"The coach talked to me about playing and I said [I'd do] whatever is the best for the team," said Hommen, who stayed at third despite the graduation of Seaver last season. "I had always played shortstop. It's really a big change. You don't realize it until you play the position."

Adjusting to the new post was more than just getting used to throwing a longer distance to first base. "It's not the range, but how do I put my glove down," said Hommen. "It's a lot of repetition. There is a lot you need to learn and you may not recognize it before. It's really the reaction time."

It took until halfway through the 2011 season for Hommen to feel fully comfortable at third base. The move from shortstop to third has not been easy, though the shortstop position requires greater range, those anchored at the "hot corner" need lightning fast reflexes to snatch balls smoked near the bag.

"It's kind of scary to go in the first time and have a ball rip down the line," said Hommen.

In addition to settling into her new position in defense, she has also grown more comfortable offensively at home plate than she was during her years at Ridgewood High School.

The sophomore had her best season yet for the Lady Cougars, hitting .341 and leading the team in 16 doubles and 29 RBIs. She also holds the best slugging percentage among the Lady Cougars, hitting at .500 to give the team a legitimate power threat.

In her second season at third base, she had a .943 fielding percentage with only eight errors and 53 putouts and had the most assists on her team, with 79. "I think I did pretty well and [I'm] happy with how the season went,” said Hommen of her sophomore year playing at TCNJ.

While it was a nice breakout season for Hommen, it was a bitter ending for the Lady Lions team that fell just short of qualifying for the NCAA Division III tournament.

They played two games against Keane University. Things looked promising during their first face-off on May 8; Hommen went 1-for-4, and she had four RBIs including a double in their 10-1 victory.

But the season came to an abrupt end during their second game on May 10, when Kean scored a run in the top of the seventh inning, beating the Lady Cougars, 2-1. Hommen went 2-for-4 in the game, including another double.

It took a while for Hommen to forget the loss that eliminated the Lady Lions from the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. "There were opportunities and we had too many mental mistakes," she said.

Injuries also took their toll on the squad as the season wore on. "We started out real well and were 9-0, then the Lady Lions top pitcher got injured,” said Hommen. "Naturally the team struggled with the top pitcher down and relied on our freshmen pitcher.”

One of her top games came during that period, versus Muhlenberg College on March 22. Hommen went 3-for-4, tying the game at four with an RBI base hit en route to a 5-4 win over Muhlenberg, one of the two victories on the day against Muhlenberg.

Hommen is very excited for the spring of 2012 as TCNJ aims to make the NCAA Division III playoffs, and hopefully as far as the NCAA World Series.