Hard work has made Cochran a star for ASU

The transformation of Arizona State softball star Kaitlin Cochran began nearly five years ago, when a player who was willing to work harder than anybody met a coach who would make her do it.

In 2005, Cochran came to campus with a resume good enough to earn her a scholarship to play for the Sun Devils, but one that didn’t promise superstardom.

Cochran batted .560 as a senior at Rosary High in Yorba Linda, Calif., but she had just one home run and nine RBIs on the season.

Her goals were modest when arriving in Tempe. Cochran wanted to hit .300 and “be a respectable player.”

But Myers wanted more, from Cochran and the rest of the group.

They arrived at ASU together — Myers took over for Linda Wells, who retired following the 2005 season — and he quickly laid out the plan.

“People that stay here are going to work harder than they’ve ever worked before,” Myers told that initial group. “I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there to win ballgames.”

Cochran bought in.

Myers knew he had a good player, but a tenacious work ethic and advanced mental awareness pushed her to an elite level.

When Cochran arrived, she put in plenty of work in the weight room, which resulted in the power surge. She clocked 17 home runs as a freshman and has 69 in her career.

But she also studied the game. Cochran wants to be a math teacher, and like her idol Ted Williams, she enjoys dissecting the physics of her at-bats.

“Before I came here, I had not mastered the mental aspect of the game,” Cochran said. “I feel like that’s taken me to the next level.”

As a freshman, she hit .437 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs, all team highs. No one else on the team that season had a batting average over .300, but on the strength of Cochran and star pitcher Katie Burkhart, the Sun Devils made it to the College World Series.

The next mental hurdle was accepting star status.

“Before (college), she was basically just one of nine,” Myers said. “By her freshman year, it was Katie Cochran and everybody else.”

She never wilted under that pressure, increasing her batting average to .492 as a sophomore and hitting .439 as a junior.

Her batting average sits at .424 this season, the worst of her career. It still ranks in the top-30 nationally, and her on-base percentage of .620 leads the country.

Cochran already has a career-high in homers this season with 20, and she was recently named one of three finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year Award. On the way, she’s broken every offensive career and single-season record at ASU.

“She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Myers said.

The work ethic is still evident today.

After enduring a three-hour practice in the scalding afternoon sun on Tuesday, Cochran escaped inside for an interview. Then, with the softball diamond at Farrington Stadium completely empty, she went back out to run.

“I really do love this game,” she said.

Cochran won a national title with Arizona State last season, but as the Sun Devils stumbled this year in Pac-10 play, many questioned whether a repeat would be possible.

It took back-to-back wins over LSU in the Tempe Regional to get here, but now the Sun Devils are two victories away from a fourth straight College World Series appearance.

More than the individual accomplishments, the national title and team success is what excites Cochran the most.

“It’s been more than I could ever imagine,” Cochran said.

Cochran plans on jumping into the professional ranks after the season ends, as she’ll join up with the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch League.

She’s also contemplating playing in Japan.

Wherever she’ll be, it won’t be in the starting lineup at ASU for the first time in Myers’ tenure.

“As we miss Burkhart and the other seniors, we’ll miss Cochran the same way,” Myers said. “In four years, I don’t think I haven’t played her in a game. I think next year, my hand will automatically write ‘Cochran’ in the three-spot.”

Arizona State vs. North Dakota State
What: NCAA Super Regional in a best-of-three format
When: Friday at 4 p.m.; Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.*
Where: Farrington Stadium, Tempe
Outlook: North Dakota State, the fourth seed in the Norman Regional, shocked Oklahoma and Tulsa to advance to the Super Regionals. This is the first NCAA Division I tournament appearance for the Bison. Arizona State won a pair of games on Sunday against Louisiana State to advance. The Sun Devils are the defending national champions. The winner advances to play in the eight-team College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla.
* if necessary