St. Aloysius’ Mallory Spencer surpasses 100 career strikeouts as a freshman

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Freshman St. Aloysius pitcher Mallory Spencer has surpassed 100 career strikeouts. Spencer recently wrapped up her freshman season as the Lady Flashes’ starting pitcher with 87 strikeouts, along with 30 from the previous year, bringing her total to 127.

“It’s a big deal because strikeouts are hard to get when you enter high school, so I’m happy about this,” Spencer said.

Before the start of the season, Spencer set a goal of recording 100 strikeouts in a single year. She fell 13 strikeouts short but said she plans to make up for it as a sophomore.

“I was disappointed, but I still got plenty of strikeouts this year,” she added.

Spencer began her varsity career as a relief pitcher in eighth grade. Just one year later, she stepped into the starting role after working tirelessly with her father, a new pitching trainer and her sister to prepare for the challenge.

One of her best performances came in the second half of the season, when she struck out 13 batters against Clinton Christian Academy — the game in which she surpassed 100 career strikeouts. The Lady Flashes went on to win 11–5.

Known primarily for her pitching, Spencer has also become a reliable hitter. She finished the season with a .424 batting average and 28 hits. As an eighth grader, she collected 21 hits.

“I want to be known more for my pitching, but I’m very proud of my hitting because I always work on my pitching more, so I’m glad to see how it turned out,” Spencer said.

Spencer plays under head coach Mike Foley, who led the team to the South State Tournament this season. She said her goals for next year include leading the Lady Flashes deeper into the postseason, allowing fewer hits and reaching at least 500 strikeouts by the time she graduates.