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Third base? Catcher? Pitcher? Brandy Krieg has played anywhere Ridgewood has needed her.
By JOHN C. COTEY
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 28, 2001
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Greg Bollinger's first year as Ridgewood softball coach has been filled with questions. And almost every time, the answer has been Brandy Krieg.
When shortstop Bethann Blankenship missed a few weeks with a bad elbow, Bollinger lost one of his best players at one of the game's most crucial positions.
Who to replace her with? Brandy Krieg.
When catcher Melanie Boyer was suspended for a week for not sliding into home during a game, Bollinger lost a promising signal caller whom his pitchers were comfortable with.
Who to replace her with? Brandy Krieg.
And when Bollinger faces a stretch like the one coming up in which his team will play six games in eight days and he needs another pitcher to save the arms of Blankenship and ace Breanne Hill? The answer is the same as it always seems to be.
Brandy Krieg.
"I don't think there is anybody that can play as many positions as she can as well as she can," Bollinger said.
Though she started slowly at the plate -- as she notoriously does each year -- there is little question Krieg has been the Ridgewood MVP so far this season.
An all-Sunshine Athletic Conference and Times all-county pick the past three seasons at third base, Krieg is more than your typical utility player.
Pitching? Catching? Any infield or outfield position? Utility Plus would be more apropos.
"I don't even know what position I'm playing until I get to the game," Krieg said. "I just go where they need me and go do my job the best I can. I pretty much can play anywhere. I prefer infield. I don't judge fly balls very good, but I can get the job done. I like being able to know every position and play."
The move to shortstop was predictable. Her cannon arm and grace in the field are a perfect fit. And pitching, a position she played as a youngster, was a natural. But when Boyer went out, Krieg was the first, and only, volunteer to step in behind the plate.
For that short time, she might have been the best catcher in the county. One player tried to steal on her and was gunned down easily. No one else was brave -- or stupid -- enough to try.
"I threw this girl out, and Bethann was standing there looking at her watch: Is she going to get here? I threw her out pretty good," Krieg said. "It was a perfect throw. The funny thing is, the coach was yelling at the girl. "Who told you to go?' It made me feel good."
Krieg catching is no surprise. She has done it before. In the preseason tournament, she caught against Hernando and received the utmost respect.
"They were like, "Look, new catcher. ... Oh wait, that's the third baseman."
The 5-foot-9 senior figured she was the best candidate to take over for Boyer. She had experience, and she had the size to give Hill a big target.
"When she volunteered to play catcher, nobody stole on her," Bollinger said. "She even caught a couple of balls that were fouled off like she had played there her whole life. She's the best female athlete I've ever coached. Unfortunately, I only get her one year. But I'll take it."
Krieg -- who has signed to play softball and volleyball at Pasco-Hernando Community College -- also is finding her groove at the plate after the slow start. Only Hernando's Chrissie Hartley hits the ball harder on the North Suncoast, and her quick hands make her a dangerous proposition for anyone playing in at third.
"Personally, when she's batting, I'd play behind third base," Bollinger said.
Now that Blankenship is healthy and Boyer is back, Krieg is settling back in at third base. She is batting over .400, hit an inside-the-park home run last week to dead center. She even batted left-handed one time last week and bunted her way on.
Her 10 stolen bases are a career-high and a testament to Bollinger's more aggressive style. It also has added another facet to Krieg's versatile game.
So when asked who his best player is, Bollinger shoots out the only answer he can.
Brandy Krieg.