Daily Chronicle 2022 Softball Player of the Year: Sycamore’s Tia Durst

It wasn’t just her record-setting offense. Or her record-setting defense.

Sycamore junior shortstop Tia Durst set school records in both RBIs and assists while hitting .449 with nine home runs this year, earning her the Daily Chronicle 2022 Softball Player of the Year award.

“This was my first actual full season because last season I missed quite a few games with volleyball and then being sick,” Durst said. “It was nice to play a full season of full games. I thought it went pretty well. I enjoyed it.”

Last season, Durst played in only 18 games for the Spartans in what was already not a full season due to its late start and COVID-19 mitigations. And her freshman campaign in 2020 was wiped totally out due to the pandemic.

So in her first full season, the junior went on a tear. She drove in 48 runs while also scoring 48 times and had an OPS of 1.260.

“That kid just likes to mash the ball,” Sycamore coach Jill Carpenter said. “It’s what she does. And it was really fun to watch.”

Durst started the year at the leadoff spot, but switched with Paige Collie and took over as the No. 3 hitter. Shortly after the switch, Collie – who set a school record for home runs last year and was hitting .477 this year - was injured and missed the remainder of the year.

Carpenter said Durst excelled hitting out of the three spot and relished the chance to produce runs.

“Obviously it was hard having Paige out of the lineup because she does do so much,” Durst said. “But at the same time the goal is always still there. It doesn’t matter who is in front of me or who is behind me. I still have the same job, the same goal of doing whatever I have to do to get on base.”

Defensively, Durst moved to short this year after playing third for the Spartans last year, although she plays shortstop on her travel ball team. She committed only eight errors all year and had a program-record 86 assists.

“I wasn’t trying to overthink or overdo anything,” Durst said. “I tried to keep it all simple and trust all the times I worked on my mechanics when I was younger. So when I’m out there I just try not to think about anything.”

Carpenter said the Spartans’ defense was pivotal for the team to help out its pitching staff. That was a message received by the players, Durst included.

“We don’t have a strikeout pitching staff,” Durst said. “It’s something some teams have, but we didn’t. So it’s super important that we’re there for our pitchers. If there’s a ball in play, we need to make the play on it. Our defense was super important, and we just focused on making the plays we could.”

Carpenter said Durst is an excellent defensive player in all aspects of the position.

“I’m a shortstop so defense is my jam,” Carpenter said. “She made some plays for us this year that I don’t know if we have anyone else that could make those plays. She has above-average arm strength, which helped her when it came to range. She was very vocal in wanting the ball. ... She had a nose of the ball and would not be denied.”

Carpenter said she’s excited for Durst’s senior year.

“I feel like the sky is the limit for her,” Carpenter said. “We’ve challenged her with a few things to work on this offseason, but she plays a high level of travel and am looking forward to her getting some looks from some schools. That kid has a fire and is super competitive. ... That’s just how her motor is. She’s going to go 110% at whatever it is she’s doing.”