Batting above average

Jillian Murray is the Jim Thome of the Philadelphia Spirit’s 12-and-under travel team, and not just because she plays first base.

The cleanup hitter has enough power to smack a softball more than 200 yards. And, just like the Phillies superstar, she is a team leader.

Murray, of the 2800 block of South Sydenham Street, was an MVP once again in the recent PONY (Protecting Our Nation’s Youth) Nationals in Sterling, Va.

Her Northeast-based Philadelphia Spirit finished fifth out of 78 teams in the competition last month.

Murray played errorless ball at first base and batted over .300 for the tournament, which included her share of doubles, triples and game-winning hits.

The seventh-grader at Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School, Broad and Shunk, said she was surprised by her team’s fifth-place finish.

"Nobody thought we would make it this far because we are [mostly] 11-year-olds," said the straight-A student, one of only four 12-year-olds on the roster. "We have a lot of good hitters on the team. The pitchers gave us good pitches and we hit them good."

The Spirit finished the tournament 8-2, and have won more than 50 games since the season started last August.

Murray, the team’s lone South Philadelphia representative, has enjoyed much success in her three seasons with the fast-pitch travel team. In 2002, she played on the Spirit’s 10-and-under team that placed eighth at the PONY Nationals. Last year, the group finished third.

Over those three years, coach Ken Turner has watched the product of South Philly youth leagues transform from a tentative player into one of the most talented and promising athletes on the team.

"I will not put anybody else at first base except her," the coach said. "She is my security blanket. We are just scratching the surface with this kid."

Like many South Philly youths, Murray — who fittingly wears a number-one Spirit jersey — started playing tee-ball as a 6-year-old for the Delaware Valley Youth Athletic Association, 18th and Johnston streets, and later in the Barry Playground softball league.

"The first year I played, I really started to like softball so I kept on playing," said the athlete, who also plays basketball and volleyball for the St. Richard Catholic Youth Organization squads.

But when Murray was ready to face better competition, she could not find a fast-pitch tournament travel team in the area.

Her mom, Carol, learned about the Spirit from another local family, but she was initially hesitant to take on the commute to the Northeast.

Murray’s star performance has made all those trips worthwhile.

Now the athlete is preparing to work with a pitching coach. Her summer practice consists of throwing a softball against concrete walls. The pitching coach will instruct Murray in the faster windmill style used in fastpitch leagues, as well as at the high-school and college levels.

She already seems to have the basic technique down pat.

"I like pitching," said Murray, who also enjoys performing ballet, especially leaps and jumps. "I would throw the ball inside [the house], but I am afraid I’ll break something."

The new skills will be beneficial for the 2004-05 season, which gets underway later this month. The Spirit will participate in some fall tournaments before moving weekly practices indoors during the winter.

This month, Murray will try to pick up some extra pointers by watching Team USA play softball in the Summer Olympics.

The athlete already is confident enough in her abilities to think about playing for a Division I softball program like UCLA.

"I really think I could play in college," she said. "UCLA has been winning a lot of championships in softball."

Since that goal is a few years off, Murray will focus on maintaining her A average in the classroom and .300-plus average on the softball field.

With the Spirit taking players up to age 18, Turner is looking forward to having his star infielder around for several more seasons.

"She is just a great kid," he said. "As a coach, you can’t ask for a better player."