Jennifer Tellefsen is going to have to rearrange some of the trophies that she keeps on a shelf in her room. The Lyndhurst senior says the ball she used to record her 300th strikeout of the season will find a home among her collection of awards.
The Female Athlete of the Week fanned 12 batters during her four-inning no-hitter against Bergen Charter on Friday. At game’s end, her season total stood at 301 strikeouts in just 159 innings.
While the ball will take a prominent place among her mementos, the warmth her teammates displayed in the moments after the strikeout will live in her heart.
“I had a goal at the beginning of the season that I wanted to get 300 strikeouts,” Tellefsen said. “That was my goal, and my whole team knew that. Once it happened, they went up to me and hugged me. It was really nice.”
There’s a secret to her success. Actually, two secrets: her curveball and her screwball. Considering she enters this week 17-7, including a perfect game, hitters haven’t had much luck guessing which pitch is coming next.
“The screwball will break inside to a right-handed hitter,” she said. “The curve will break outside.”
Tellefsen will be packing up her glove and driving to northeast Florida in the summer. In August, she’ll be joining the team at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
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