Huskies Softball Pitcher Elle Doolittle Sets Record with 500th Strikeout
By: Nazirah “Red” Jones and Emma Quintal
The Huskies Softball team was on fire this week, setting two major records with senior pitcher Elle Doolittle striking out her 500th batter at home while the team beat Veterans High School for the first time ever.
“It was a big win,” Doolittle said. “And it was a team effort…it was very exciting because we’ve never beat Veterans. That was our second time playing them [this year]- last time I think it was 8–5” in Veterans’ favor.
Doolittle was downplaying her efforts in the game, when she struck out three batters to reach her 500th high school career strikeout. According to Coach Noelle Respert, that’s a record for the school and the region.
“She’s definitely one of a kind,” Respert said. The coach has been working with Elle as her pitching coach since Elle was a freshman.
According to Elle, having the support of Respert and Coach Danny Slaughter was an important part of her success, along with the support of her family and a pitching coach in McDonough.
Elle didn’t even know that she was on track for this milestone until her dad told her a couple of weeks ago.
“I try to beat my record from the last year just to push myself and get better, so he knew about the 500. We typically just keep count of how many I start with at the beginning of the year,” Elle said.
Her father, Wally Doolittle, is the record keeper in the family, and proud dad. When the 500th strikeout happened, all eyes in the stand were on him as he cheered for his youngest daughter.
When the celebrating settled down, he told us that “her first year pitching, she had 101 strikeouts. Her second year she had 125, and her third year she blew it out. I think it was like 236,” Doolittle said.
This season, he said, “going into this game, she had 56 strikeouts for the season over four games. So we knew it was getting kind of close to the 500.”
Doolittle said they didn’t know that it was a record, but “we just figured that 500 strikeouts was a pretty good milestone.”
Elle’s mother Jennifer was there for the moment too, along with big sister Delaney. According to Jennifer, Elle loves the game and will play despite how she feels.
“She wouldn’t tell you (if her arm gets tired). She wants the ball.” Mrs. Doolittle said.
Reaching her 500th strikeout, Mrs. Doolittle said about Elle, was all the more special because she was able to share it with the team.
“She loves her teammates and her team. And to share it with those girls because they’re such a big part of it makes it even more special,” Mrs. Doolittle said.
Mrs. Doolittle gave lots of credit to Coach Respert and Coach Slaughter, too.
“We’re just so grateful to them. They love these girls,” Mrs. Doolittle said.
Elle has made a verbal commitment to pitch for Georgia State University after graduating next May. She said that, somehow, her future coach, Roger Kincaid, even heard about the milestone and texted her congratulations after the game.
