Badger Bombs: Stony Brook Catcher Breaks Out

Corinne Badger didn’t blame anyone. She didn’t make any excuses. Badger knew her lack of production was largely of her own doing.

For her first two seasons at Stony Brook, Badger struggled with the transition to the college level.

“It was definitely like a rude awakening, because in travel and high school every Division I player is the star of their travel and high school team, so coming in here and not being the best was really a reality check,” Badger said. “I didn’t take it as seriously as I should have. I was not putting in the work.”

Badger resolved to change this season, and couldn’t have scripted a better opening. The junior catcher exploded at the plate last weekend, going 6 for 12 with six home runs and 11 RBIs to lead Stony Brook to a 4-1 record at the FIU Tournament with wins over Drexel, FIU, South Dakota and Brown.

Badger was 4-for-4 with four home runs and seven RBIs in her first two games on Friday. On Saturday, she hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning as a pinch hitter to beat Brown.

To say Badger had a career weekend would be an understatement.

As a freshman in 2020, Badger batted .087 in 10 games. As a sophomore last season, her average dipped to .048 in 10 games.

The New York native had only one career home run and six RBIs entering the season.

After just one weekend, Badger already has six times as many home runs, twice as many hits and nearly twice as many RBIs than the previous two years in five less games.

“I have just been grinding. I put in an hour extra hitting before practice and another half hour to an hour after practice,” Badger said. “I just want to have a really good season and it’s been a priority to improve for the team to put us in the best spot possible this season.”

Before the Stony Brook pitchers and catchers reported to practice, Kate Newell, Stony Brook’s director of athletic performance, gave Badger a book on the mental keys to hitting. 

“I have always been tough on myself,” Badger said. “I knew if I was going to have a great season I had to be mentally there as well because that has always been my downfall. I had to start reiterating the right things to myself rather than putting myself down.”

Badger realized she needed to refocus on the reason she began playing the sport in the first place – for the pure love of the game.

“I had to just go back to how I used to play, when I would just get in the box and just hit,” she said. “I was not going up there thinking, ‘don’t strike out or I need to get a hit or else I would get benched. Or when I was catching, if I don’t frame the pitch right or block a ball I’ll be taken out.’ It was all negative when I could have been more positive.”

Badger didn’t start catching until she was a freshman in high school, but knew right away she found a positional home. She enjoys being involved in every pitch and playing a significant role on defense.

“If I am hitting poorly one game, I can always go out and catch and be perfectly fine and be the best I can be at catching,” Badger said. “That’s not to say I won’t struggle catching as well one game, but I just always feel good when I am catching.”

The addition of Courtney Syrett as an assistant coach on Stony Brook’s staff has played a big role in Badger’s increased confidence. Syrett was the starting catcher at Ole Miss in 2017 when the Rebels won the first SEC title in program history.

“I have gotten insanely better,” Badger said. “She’s only been here a couple of months, and she’s already helped me grow a lot as a catcher, which is really cool. I am excited to see what happens with a whole season with her.”

During her home run streak last weekend, Badger tried not to press at the plate.

“I kept telling myself to stay small and look for base hits,” she said. “When the first one went out, I was super excited and the next at-bat I did the same thing. I just wanted to get a base hit and swing at good pitches. That was basically my approach on every at-bat. Just stay humble when it does happen and have fun.”

Badger did her best to keep the good vibes rolling into the second day of the tournament by eating the same breakfast and wearing the same outfit to breakfast. But her bagel, omelet, fruit and coffee routine hit a few snags.

“I was freaking out because they didn’t have the same raisin bagel on Saturday, so I had raisin toast instead,” she said. “Then. I was freaking out again Sunday because we had to wake up early for the game and they didn’t have any of the stuff. But it worked out fine.”

Stony Brook is playing in the San Diego Classic this weekend. Although it’s unrealistic to expect Badger to be as productive at the plate, she doesn’t want to lower her standards. She’s come too far and is more motivated than ever to make up for lost time.

“I want to live up to what I did this past weekend, but at the same time I know it won’t happen every weekend. I am going to struggle at some point,” Badger said. “Even during the weekend, I did strikeout. It’s not like I was perfect every at-bat. But I have put in a lot of work the past couple of days just so I can feel as prepared, if not more prepared, for the weekend.”