University of Minnesota Athletics
The Perfect Changeup
11/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Every pitcher loves the feeling of making a batter whiff on a perfectly thrown changeup. Senior pitcher Tori Finucane has experienced a different kind of changeup this year that is also working out quite nicely for her.
The Germantown, Md. native spent her first three seasons playing for the University of Missouri. She made an instant impact in her freshman season throwing a 1.73 ERA while compiling a 21-6 record. She earned First Team All-SEC and NFCA All-Southeast Region honors and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. That year she picked up two big wins in the circle against No. 3 Florida. She followed up with a successful sophomore season going 21-8 with a 3.03 ERA and 140 strikeouts on her way to earning Second Team All-SEC honors.
Finucane hit a bump in her career during her junior season as she was plagued by injuries. She stayed calm and steady through the challenges and has used it as motivation going into her senior year.
"It has been up and down but it has all been a really great learning experience," Finucane said. "You are always battling something in college athletics but you are always learning from it. The good games and good seasons are awesome and really exciting but I think that when you can manage yourself as a student athlete and really learn from it is what college athletics is all about."
After the tough junior season Finucane decided it was time for a change. She left Missouri and joined the Maroon and Gold for her senior season.
"Honestly when I came here it was the easiest decision. The coaching staff was awesome and so much fun to talk to. The campus is just aesthetically very pleasing and gorgeous," Finucane explained. "It has been a really fun program to follow because they are so gritty and tough. No matter what the score is or how the game seems to be going you can never count them out and it is such a cool thing to be a part of."
Finucane admitted it was scary to think about transferring but the support of her family, teammates from her time at Missouri and the fact that she was welcomed with open arms by her new teammates helped make the transition seamless.
"It is still mind blowing. This has been such an incredibly welcoming team. Coming in as a senior you never want to step on anybody's toes," she said. "They just kind of put me right into it. They are the funniest group of girls and so much fun to be around. You just become comfortable right away because you can never say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing around them. They are just so understanding."
One of the biggest adjustments Finucane had to make was becoming a senior leader on a team with seven freshmen while getting used to a new team herself.
"That was the hardest part because I have always been a lead by example kind of person. I have never been too vocal," Finucane explained. "This team has helped me breakout of that a bit more. Working with the freshmen pitchers I have to remember that even though I am new I am still older. I try to ingrain myself into that role. Sara (Groenewegen) and Sam (Macken) are some of the greatest people to do that with because they made that transition so easy. They were so inclusive and made sure I felt like a senior and not just a transfer."
Getting used to the softball side of things may have been the easy part of the transition for Finucane.
"I think the biggest thing was feeling like a freshman wondering how to get to class. I had to ask at least five people the first week, 'do you know where this building is?' I was like what is wrong with me. I am a senior, this should not be an issue," Finucane said. "Now I know my way around and I found some new fun places when I got lost."
All in all Finucane already feels at home at Minnesota. She had a strong fall season and said she had more fun and confidence in the circle than she has had in a long time.
"I think this team is the perfect team to do it with. It is scary transferring as a senior but honestly it doesn't even like I transferred," Finucane said. "It is the weirdest feeling because I have only been here a couple months and it feels like I have been here my whole life. They have made it so much easier. They already feel like family."
