Biography
By Jim Hague
Patty Clarke knew that she had to extend her recruiting borders, if she wanted to turn the Rutgers-Newark softball program around and make the Scarlet Raiders competitive.
So the head coach had to pursue players outside of the northern New Jersey area.
“It was a challenge for us to get kids from south Jersey,” Clarke said. “We needed to get those kids to look at us.”
Nicole Odell set the ball in motion when the Hammonton native and St. Joseph grad elected to join the R-N program three years ago, but Clarke wasn’t settling on just one player. She set her sights on a talented pitcher/hitter from Vineland named Liane Drastal.
Ironically, Drastal had played against Odell in high school.
“I got a hit once that she tried to catch,” Drastal said. “When I first came to visit Rutgers-Newark, I really was hoping that she wouldn’t recognize me.”
Drastal had been recruited by several other colleges, but she wanted to attend a Division III school instead of having the pressures of being a Division I scholarship athlete.
“I received a phone call from (Scarlet Raiders’ assistant) coach Jackie (Davis) and within a week, I began to really like it,” Drastal said.
However, Drastal thought she might change her mind when she paid her first visit to Newark.
“We got off the exit off Route 280 and I said to my mother, `I’m not so sure about this,’” Drastal said. “But Coach Clarke assured me that it wasn’t bad and she was right. I really liked it.”
Drastal spent her freshman year just getting accustomed to the new surroundings, which were just a little different than what she grew up with in Vineland.
“It definitely took me a year to get to learn my role on the team,” Drastal said.
“She was battling an injury in her back, so it limited her ability to be a hitter,” Clarke said. “It’s hard to put her in the lineup and put her in the position to slide. But she worked hard at becoming a better pitcher. She worked on changing speeds to throw off hitters. She did a good job at mixing speeds. She’s a student of the game and learned a lot by watching.”
Drastal expected to have more of a reserve pitcher role this season, but that all changed, when the expected returning starter decided not to play this season.
“I remember getting a text saying that the pitcher wasn’t coming back,” Drastal said. “That’s when I knew I had to get pretty serious. I really didn’t have a choice. I had to work harder because I didn’t want to be the one to mess things up.”
“We were put in a position where we had to find a starting pitcher,” Clarke said. “Due to the unexpected circumstances, we were left with the two sophomore pitchers. But one of the things that drew me to Liane was her leadership skills, both on and off the field.”
Although she’s only a sophomore, Drastal took to a leadership role, especially with a vast number of incoming freshmen.
“She’s been like a mother to the freshmen,” Clarke said. “She takes care of them. She cooks for them all the time. She took it upon herself to be that leader. She’s a very strong willed person.”
Drastal admits to being the resident homemaker of the Scarlet Raiders.
“I’m kind of their caregiver,” Drastal said. “I do cook a lot. Coming from a big Italian family, you learn to cook for an army. I guess I do a pretty good job of cooking, because no one has died from it yet. I’m also a very clean person, so I tend to clean up a lot for the others.”
Drastal has also taken care of the pitching duties, sharing the role with fellow sophomore Brianna Alicchio. After pitching just 10 starts last year, posting a 5-7 record, Drastal has been forced to be more of workhorse on the mound this year.
Drastal has pitched in 17 games, making 13 starts already, posting a 4-10 record with a 4.20 earned run average. Last week, Drastal made the start against nationally-ranked Montclair State and held the Red Hawks to just one run in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss.
“Right before the game, Nicole Odell told me that it was going to be a great day,” Drastal said. “I try to develop a mental block and not think of anything. I’m surprised how well I was able to pitch under pressure.”
“It’s the closest we’ve come to beating Montclair in the history of the program,” Clarke said. “Liane did a great job. She threw a fantastic game and I think that proves she could do that against anyone in this conference.”
“I’m still upset we lost,” Drastal said. “But it definitely helps with my confidence, knowing that I can pitch that well against a nationally-ranked team. It was a huge confidence booster.”
Clarke likes what she’s getting from Drastal.
“She keeps us in every game she throws,” Clarke said. “She’s been great. I just wish I could incorporate her in more of a role, especially as a hitter, because she is a very good hitter.”
“I love hitting,” Drastal said. “I do miss it. But I have to sacrifice it in order to help the team. I don’t want to hurt my back further. I’ll be back hitting sometime soon.”
Drastal said that she likes having teammates like Odell that she can relate to.
“She’s the first person I became close to when I got here,” Drastal said. “When we had our first few team meetings last summer, we came up together. It’s good to be friends with her, because we’re all from the same place. We all miss going to WaWa.”
Drastal is a history major at R-N and hopes to eventually work towards getting a Master’s degree in special education.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Drastal said. “We have a good group and I love being with this team.”
Having been thrust into a more prominent role, it looks as if Liane Drastal has found a home in Newark.
