Every week, Radnor Patch spotlights the accomplishments of local children and teenagers. Nominations for the Whiz Kid of the Week can come from local schools, churches, scouts, youth groups, or any individual and can be for a variety of scholastic, athletic, or service-oriented deeds. To nominate a deserving kid, e-mail sam.strike@patch.com.
This week’s “Whiz Kid” is Christy Von Pusch, a Radnor Township resident who attends Radnor High School.
Name: Christy Von Pusch
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Age: 16
School/Team: varsity softball
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Accomplishments: A three-year starter on the Red Raiders varsity softball team, the junior right-handed pitcher is Radnor’s all-time strikeout leader.
As a sophomore, she went 12-5, throwing 300 strikeouts and seven no hitters. This season, she’s gone 3-1, throwing back-to-back no hitters on March 28, in a 4-0 win over Marple Newtown, and March 29, in a 8-1 win over Methacton.
A first-team all-Central League selection last year, and named second-team all-state, Christy made an oral commitment to Penn State in August on a softball scholarship. In 30 innings this season, Christy has thrown 72 strikeouts. She struck out 25 in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to Penncrest on Monday.
Key to Awesomeness: Her deep-seeded passion and work ethic that’s rooted back to when she began playing t-ball at three years old. Christy always possessed a lot of raw talent that merely needed to be honed, and over the past eight years, she’s honed that talent into a pitch in the upper-60s.
“But I was inconsistent,” Christy said. “Last summer, I was showcasing in summer events and I got out of sync and got into really bad habits. I was pitching every other day and I was going to all these camps. I think I got a little carried away. I was listening too many coaches and I changed my style too much. I went out to Colorado in early July and lost my mechanics. Coming back from that was definitely a struggle and to see I needed to practice and work on my mechanics. It helped me. I started seeing a difference in the beginning of the season. I’m seeing how important it is to maintain my mechanics. I think I’m back where I used to be. I feel good. I feel more confident with my mechanics.”
