By Bill Sheehan

Myka Sutherlin is having a monster season for Cal State Fullerton's softball team. The fifth-year hurler has a sparkling 1.33 ERA and leads the Big West in wins, shutouts, strikeouts and innings pitched.

Given that type of production, it's hard to believe the 5-foot-8 righthander was playing without her corrective lenses until just two weeks ago.

"I've struggled with near-sightedness for the past few years. I had glasses that I would wear at night, at the movies or in class, but they left things blurry up close. So I stopped wearing them during games this season," said Sutherlin, who hails from Gilbert Arizona.

"However, without the glasses, my view of the plate was a little fuzzy. And I had a hard time seeing the finger signs that were being relayed from the dugout, especially at night. Finally, I decided it was time to change that."

Sutherlin visited the team optometrist, who ordered her sports eyeglasses. She donned them on April 22, in the nightcap of a doubleheader against visiting UC Santa Barbara. "Actually, she didn't want to wear the glasses at first because she was afraid it would ruin her mojo," said catcher Jessi Alcala.

Such fears were unfounded. The newly bespectacled Sutherlin threw six scoreless innings to beat the Gauchos. She followed that up last weekend with two complete-game victories, including a shutout, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In fact, she has not given up an earned run in 20 innings since using the new eyewear.

"With my new glasses, I'm able to see everything on the field, which is a great advantage. I never knew what I was missing," said Sutherlin.

The ace pitcher has propelled the Titans to a 30-16 overall record this season. They are 17-4 in Big West play and hold a two-game lead over Long Beach State with six remaining.

Fullerton, which has won 11 straight games, will host Hawaii on Friday at 6 p.m. at Anderson Family Field. The teams will meet again Saturday in a doubleheader that starts at 2 p.m. A Senior Day celebration will be held after the second game.

Hawaii swept Fullerton in a late-season three-game series at Honolulu a year ago. Sutherlin and Titans head coach Kelly Ford said the team hasn't forgotten those losses.

"I've been pitching my best stuff, and I'm feeling prepared going into the final two weeks of the conference with our most difficult opponents ahead of us," said Sutherlin. "Last year, Hawaii swept us, so I know our team is going to want some redemption. We are prepared for whatever they throw our way," she said.

The Titans got a jump on scouting the Rainbow Wahine, Ford said. "Hawaii has a good team. We watched its game against Long Beach State on the bus as we headed home from San Luis Obispo."

"Myka's performance at Cal Poly was just outstanding. We had to battle Friday in the first game, and she had to really work through some changing strike zones. That challenged her, but she rose to the challenge," said Ford. "She came back Saturday after throwing more than 100 pitches on Friday. I love her "give-me-the-ball-let's-go attitude."

"She is so good at living in the present and playing with joy, and Myka has gotten the team to buy into that approach. She's a pure competitor, and her teammates want to rise to her level. And we have figured out how to do that this year."

A 10-year-old Myka Sutherlin warms up before a Gilbert Little League Softball game. 

Sutherlin was nearly untouchable in April. She posted a 9-1 record, closing the month with eight straight wins. Fashioning a brilliant 0.74 ERA, Sutherlin recorded five shutouts (four solo, one combined), a five-inning no-hitter and seven complete games. She had a career-high 14 strikeouts in a home win against Santa Barbara.

On Monday, Sutherlin was named Big West Pitcher of the Week. It was the fourth straight week she earned the award, the sixth time this season and her ninth honor during her two seasons at Fullerton.

For the 2023 season, she has a 17-6 record, 11 shutouts (eight solo, three combined) and 196 strikeouts. She has pitched 163 innings and completed 14 of her 25 starts.

"Myka has had incredible performances. She has just found her groove to say the least," said Ford, who is in her 11th season guiding the Titans. "It doesn't mean every outing is perfect. If an opponent has runners in scoring position or Myka gives up a couple of doubles, she just bears down and meets those challenges."

"In pre-conference, we had some stressful and pressure-cooker games. The offense was trying to find its personality, and we had to rely on Myka and our other pitchers – Haley Rainey and Raci Miranda. Our offense began to heat up by the third week of conference, but our pitchers have put us into a position to win all along."

The Titans got off to a sluggish start this season. In mid-March, they were 13-13 and 0-2 in conference. But Ford kept the team united during the rough patch, said Sutherlin.

"Coach Ford's slogan is 'handle it.' We often say it to make fun of it, but it's true. Coach Ford embodies that mindset. If there is a bad call or things aren't going our way, we persevere," said Sutherlin.

Last season, Sutherlin was 16-7 and had a 2.43 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 150 innings. She also tossed a no-hitter against Cal State Bakersfield. At the NCAA Regionals in Tempe, Ariz., she turned in a gritty complete-game outing to help her team beat LSU, 3-2, in the Titans' lone postseason win.

Sutherlin transferred from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, arriving at Fullerton in August 2021. She as received a fifth year of eligibility this season because of NCAA Covid-19 rules.

She credits Titans volunteer pitching coach Danielle O'Toole for her development and success. "Coach O'Toole has made a huge difference. I love her coaching style and how she calls pitches," Sutherlin said.

O'Toole encouraged Sutherlin to make the most of her final year of collegiate ball. "I told Myka I didn't want her to walk away from college with any regrets and encouraged her to be the best she could possibly be for herself and her team. She took my advice and ran with it."

"Myka sets goals that seem out of reach, but she's shown she can dream and reach those goals. That's very cool to watch," said O'Toole, who was a pitching star at the University of Arizona competed for Mexico at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "She came in not knowing much about behind-the-scenes scouting, but she has been like a sponge and now can quickly analyze the situation before making her pitches. And she has really mastered the art of changing speeds."

The 22-year-old Sutherlin has five pitches in her repertoire: a changeup, curve, screwball, rise ball and a recently added drop ball. "I've been throwing a lot more changeups, which has been my best pitch. And the drop ball has thrown batters off balance."

"Myka isn't afraid to use her changeup on a 3-2 count, said Alcala, the catcher. "And it makes some batters look silly. She has good command of all her pitches."

Alcala's defense has allowed Sutherlin to throw with added confidence. "I can always count on Jessi to keep the ball in front of her with runners on. She is super supportive and has my back."

A teenage Sutherlin caught the eye of Pacific assistant coach Tory Yamaguchi while pitching a 1- hitter in a club tournament in California. "Pacific was the first school to give me an offer, and I jumped on it," said Sutherland. She notched 18 wins in 2 1/2 seasons at Stockton.

"I loved it at Pacific. I loved the campus. And I met my boyfriend, Levent Sever, who played tennis for Pacific, as well as many good friends there. But I decided to transfer for competitive reasons. I'd say the Big West is a little stronger than the West Coast Conference."

In February 2020, Sutherlin made a major impression on Ford when she scattered three hits and struck out seven in a 5-1 Pacific win at Fullerton. "My first reaction was, 'Who is this pitcher?' And then I thought, 'If she ever enters the transfer portal, we'd be interested."

Sutherlin was recruited by Utah, Syracuse, Maryland and Fullerton while in the portal. She wanted to play close to home and hoped Arizona would make an offer, but none materialized. "Everything was meant to be, and I was meant to be a Titan," she said.

She started playing T-ball at age 6 in Arizona before advancing to Little League Softball. She  was a right fielder when her father took her to a pitching clinic at age 8. "At first, I hated pitching – I was crying at the clinic. But I quickly came to enjoy pitching, and I realized I was pretty good at it."

Doubling as a pitcher and an outfielder, she played for several club baseball teams. She was a five-year member of the Phoenix Firecrackers.

Her father, Jeff, would hit baseballs to her to improve her defensive skills. "I would hit high "moon shots" that she would catch. She was an amazing outfielder. He teammates called her "Hollywood" because she would often make wild plays and diving catches."

"Once when she was 12, I stood by a plate pretending to be a batter while Myka pitched in the bullpen. She was throwing about 55 mph and hit me in the back of the head, and I wasn't wearing a helmet. I was knocked out for about 30 seconds. Another girl's parent, who was a doctor, rendered care. She said jokingly, 'If you die overnight, one of two things will happen: Myka is going to be the most feared pitcher around for having killed her father. Or she will never pitch again.' "

He recalled a game in Colorado when his daughter approached the plate in the final inning with her team down by one run. "She hit the longest homer I've ever seen and then danced around the bases."

Myka Sutherlin competed for the Phoenix Firecrackers softball club for five years. 

When Sutherlin came home when Covid-19 struck, Jeff bought a full set of catcher's equipment and caught for her in the full-squatting position three to four days a week.

Softball wasn't her only sport. She competed in the breaststroke and butterfly at grammar school swim meets and played one year of middle-school basketball. "She also played flag football with boys. She was a real tomboy," said Jeff.

At Campo Verde High School in Gilbert, Sutherlin was a four-year varsity starter as a pitcher and an outfielder. She led the school to two Regional Championships while earning team MVP honors and First Team All-Section accolades three times. She was named First Team All-Arizona in 2016.

Sutherlin also played one year of badminton, was chosen prom queen and nearly had straight As at Campo Verde, earning a B, in chemistry.

She isn't the only athlete in the family. Her mother, Alex, was an All-Arizona basketball player who lost out on a sports scholarship when she tore her ACL. She also played volleyball and softball. Jeff was a high school swimmer for four years who also played baseball and basketball. 

Sutherlin, along with her father and Christian, her older brother, participated in American Kenpo Karate, also known as kung fu. They worked two nights a week for seven years on the martial arts discipline, and all three earned black belts.

Jeff is an associate broker at EXP Realty in Chandler and serves as a part-time pastor at Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church in Gilbert. Alex is a branch manager at Old Republic Title in Chandler. Both are University of Arizona alums. Christian is a medical student at the Creighton University Health Science Center in Phoenix.

Myka Sutherlin is joined by her brother Christian, father Jeff and mother Alex. 

Sutherlin will graduate this month with a kinesiology degree. She is applying to Boston University and hopes to earn a master's degree in financial management. She would like to land a graduate assistant job with BU's softball team. Ultimately, she envisions a career as a financial planner or advisor for a large financial securities company.

An avid traveler, Sutherlin traveled to Turkey with her boyfriend for a month in summer 2021. She spent time with his family in Ankara, the capital, and they visited a resort in the coastal city of Bodrum. "I had an awesome time. It was so amazing to experience such a different culture. I would like everyone to have this type of adventure," she said.

Myka Sutherlin explores the ancient city of Knidos in Turkey. She and her boyfriend, Levent Sever, traveled to the country for a monthlong visit in summer 2021.

Sutherlin is about to embark on another journey. In late May, she will leave for Italy, where she will pitch for a professional softball team in the northern city of Forli. The trip will be delayed if Fullerton reaches the NCAA super regionals. "I'm really excited they want me to come and play," said Sutherlin, who will be in Italy until early October.

O'Toole, her pitching coach, previously played for Forli and helped Sutherlin connect with the team, which won the Italian Championship and the European Premier Cup in 2021. "The sport is growing in Italy, and people are taking it seriously. It's a great opportunity abroad for Myka. I'm hoping she will have the best summer of her life."

Looking back, Sutherlin said her paternal grandparents, Jack and Jackie Sutherlin, played a key role in her softball success.

"My grandma played on an amateur team in Indiana. They would travel around the state, playing different clubs and even women prison teams. My dad also traveled with the team, kind of like the character in "A League of Their Own." Instead of getting championship rings, they received patches. I have all the patches she won."

Her grandfather, Jack, passed away two years ago. "He was my biggest supporter. Together, they motivated me to do great things in softball." 

Hear what @meeksmyka has to say about her upcoming professional season abroad in Forli, Italy this summer#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/OViKqinX8O

— Titans Softball (@Fullerton_SB) May 5, 2023

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