North Star's Ciran Elgin area's best

Updated: June 24, 2011 3:09PM

St. Charles North catcher Annie Korth had just caught an extra-inning comeback victory on her team’s road to a state runner-up trophy, and had only one word to describe North Stars pitcher Amanda Ciran.

“Fearless,” Korth said. “Amanda is just fearless.”

It takes a pitcher with very little fear and a few other strong attributes to rely so much on a pitch the opposition could actually hit if they only knew it was coming. Then again, they almost never knew Ciran’s changeup was coming.

A 24-2 season and a 1.28 earned run average went a long way toward indicating most hitters were clueless when they stood against Ciran and her ability to effortlessly change speeds. As a result, the Stars senior has been named The Courier-News Player of the Year.

“I don’t like to ever leave my changeup out of a game,” Ciran said. “Even if it doesn’t work, I like to throw it right again the next pitch.

“That’s my go-to pitch. I like playing around with the batters’ (minds) with that pitch.”

Ciran controlled opponents well enough to strike out 155 in 170 1/3 innings, and she did it while walking only 37. Until the supersectional, the Loyola-bound right-hander allowed more than three runs in a game only once — a 6-4 loss to Geneva on May 6.

“Consistency was one of the greatest parts of her game,” North coach Tom Poulin said. “Her teammates all could count on her. We all counted on her to the point where she was almost taken for granted.”

The changeup never really became part of her repertoire until her junior season, when she went 13-1. That season she split time in the pitching circle.

“We had a rotation approach that season,” said Poulin, who was an assistant with the 2010 team. “But when this season started it was very apparent for a while that Amanda was going to be the main pitcher.”

Unlike prodigies who start developing in their sport right out of the crib, Ciran started at a more reasonable age.

“I didn’t start take pitching lessons until I was 12 and started playing when I was eight,” she said.

Playing for the DuPage Diamond Dogs travel team from 2005-07 while her mother, Sandi, a former Hinsdale South player, was a coach, helped her develop her game.

A summer with the Lemont Rockers travel team in 2010 after her junior year let her sharpen the changeup to the point where it became a weapon probably even more deadly to batters than her 60-mph fastball.

“She never let batters get comfortable,” Poulin said. “She does a tremendous job of selling them on the fastball.”

Besides keeping batters guessing, it helped her defense because they didn’t have to face some of the bunting and slap technique that other teams had to face.

“You didn’t see a lot of teams trying to bunt and slap hit against her very effectively because they couldn’t get set, take a toehold in there,” Poulin said.

Ciran helped her team in another way. A .326 batter, she drove in 23 runs and belted six home runs.

“She was a real team player,” Poulin said. “If it meant bunting, she would do that too.”

Perhaps Ciran’s greatest asset as a pitcher and player was nothing she did with the ball in her right hand or while swinging a bat. It was simply her attitude.

“Amanda is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met,” Poulin said. “There is nothing that gets her down.”

Poulin pointed to the supersectional comeback win over DeKalb, and the 9-8 loss to Moline in the state title game as examples of Ciran’s positive mental approach. The Barbs got ahead 4-0 in the first inning. Moline led 9-3 after 1 1/2 innings. In both games, Ciran buckled down and held the opponent without another run.

“It could have gotten really ugly in both those games,” Poulin said. “Especially in the championship game, that was a situation that could have really deteriorated.

“Amanda wouldn’t get down on herself or let the team get down on themselves.”

It takes more than a fastball and changeup to be a team leader and pitcher. After 57 wins and 423 strikeouts in four years of varsity play, it’s apparent Ciran had all the necessary qualities.

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