BYU softball: Zinanti etches name into Y. record book

Christie Zinanti has officially pitched herself into the BYU record books this year as the junior from Pueblo, Colo., has surpassed all others on past BYU pitching staffs in winning a record-number of games in her career as a Cougar.

With plenty of games remaining in this season and another entire year to add victories to her impressive total, Zinanti already sports 48 victories on her record. She's currently pitching with a 1.62 ERA this season, has only allowed 37 runs so far in 30 appearances and has thrown 173 strikeouts, including 10 in her last outing against UNLV.

With Zinanti and Paige Affleck exclusively manning the circle for the Cougars this season, this team is currently riding a 13-game winning streak, is now 32-14 on the season and has a goal of reaching a super regional for the first time in the team's history.

Zinanti loves being in the middle of what she calls a very special team in the midst of what could be a very special season.

"I feel like we're finally starting to peak, finally starting to break through. My goals are to come out for the team and keep the team in it. I think that the way we're going we can make it to regionals and even to super regionals," said Zinanti about the team around her.

Gordon Eakin is equally impressed with both the pitchers and the team surrounding them and noted after Zinanti's last game, "She was throwing the ball where we wanted her to throw it. She threw one of her best games of the year so far."

He also said this team is the most well-rounded BYU has put together so far in its history and has the same hopes that it will be able to advance for the first time to the super regionals.

But it's never easy. Because of the weather, every year the softball team begins the season with a similar and exhausting 30-plus game road trip; this year's was 33.

"We can only go to school two or three days a week. We usually leave on Wednesday and come back on Sunday, so we try not to have any Friday classes, and we work with our teachers," said Zinanti, who acknowledges the early trips are not easy, but the team gets through them and dreams of coming home for a few games when spring finally rolls around. And college ball isn't all about being more difficult than high school ball. Those early road trips may be hard, but Zinanti loves the days of rest she gets between starts, which she didn't get as the only pitcher on her high school team.

She enjoys being able to come onto the field "fresh."