By TODD LINDENMUTH
LongwoodLancers.com

A good catcher, like a good umpire, often goes unnoticed. 
 
Unless your catcher is Kaylynn Batten.
 
Longwood fans, and anybody who has had the unfortunate task of playing the powerhouse Lancers over the past three seasons, have had little choice but to notice the player who has become a masked, armored mainstay behind the plate. Her face is visible for only a handful of at bats every game, but the number one on the back of her jersey has become a familiar sight to all who have witnessed the Lancers' Big South dominance and steady rise climb up the national softball ranks.
 
Now preparing for today's Big South Championship quarterfinal matchup against third-seeded and tournament host Radford at 2:30 p.m., the Lancers are looking to continue riding the shoulders of their workhorse catcher to a third straight Big South Championship.
 
Over the past three seasons, Longwood has been on the field for 1,150 innings, and Batten -- better known as 'Bug' by her teammates -- has caught all but 11 of them. It's no coincidence that since she earned the job of Longwood's starting catcher in 2016, the Lancers have gone 107-63 and won back-to-back Big South Championships.
 
Batten came onto the scene in the fifth inning of Longwood's first game of her freshman year after an injury forced do-it-all utility player Krista Kelly from behind the plate to second base. The 5-3 native of Kenly, N.C., received her first pitch from all-time great Elizabeth McCarthy and, literally, hasn't come out of the lineup since.
 
Since that moment in 2016, Batten has caught every single inning of softball Longwood has played, calling and receiving nearly every pitch from Longwood's rotating stable of aces, from two-time Big South Pitcher of the Year McCarthy to two-time All-Big South right-hander Sydney Gay and Longwood's newest hurler, Big South All-Freshman Team pick Sydney Backstrom.
 
But Batten's work behind the plate is only a portion of what goes into her role as Longwood's iron horse, the iceberg's tip of a mountainous body of work that has made her into the best backstop in the Big South. From the offseason workouts to Longwood's 5:30 a.m. lifts and practices, Batten explained that she just loves to play the game of softball and to her that's a key reason why she's been able to sustain the physical and mental toughness required to play a position as grueling as catcher can be.
 
"I love to play, and I love to play all I can," Batten said. "When I step onto the field, it's what I love to do. I think my love for the game is what comes first, and that's what draws me to want to play all the time. Asking me to catch every inning is asking me to do what I love, and that's what drives me the most."
 
Batten stepped onto Longwood's campus with big shoes to fill with the 2015 graduation of All-American and two-time Big South Player of the Year Megan Baltzell. Baltzell was Longwood's original workhorse behind the plate, catching every inning of every game during her final three seasons, during which she was named an All-American and twice earned Big South Player of the Year honors.
 
Baltzell left a set of cavernous indentations behind the plate for her predecessors to fill, but Batten has made her own mark behind the plate.
 
"It's truly amazing how physically strong she is and mentally she has to stay in the game all of the time," Gay said. "She's a really hard worker and really strong mentally and physically."
 
And while her wall-like presence has benefited Longwood's defense and pitching, her offensive game has grown as well. In a progression that has been steady and unwavering, Batten has emerged as not only the top hitting catcher in the Big South, but one of the conference's most dangerous bats overall.
 
This season, Batten has raised her batting average to a career-high .381, ranking fifth in the conference in that category and among the league's top 10 in on base percentage (.481), slugging (.673), RBI (41), runs scored (38), triples (4) and walks (31). She leads Longwood in every one of those categories and has been as steady as they come in the heart of Longwood's lineup, hitting in the all-important three-spot in all 51 games while reaching base safely in 45 of those.
 
"With each year, I've gotten a little more comfortable," Batten said. "That helps because you become more confident in yourself, and I've definitely become more confident which has led to more success."
 
That confidence grew even more last week when league coaches formally recognized Batten as the Big South's top backstop, awarding her All-Big South first team honors alongside her fellow battery-mate Gay.
 
And while her impressive offensive numbers have drawn a lot of attention this year, that's just one aspect of what makes her such a valuable asset to the Lancers.
 
As Longwood's catcher, Batten is perennially on the receiving end of some of the filthiest pitchers in the Big South. She has caught McCarthy's twitchy fastballs, and Gay's tightly-spun sliders, serving equal parts receiver, pitch-caller and steadying presence for Longwood's hurlers.
 
She does all of that under the radar, foregoing the glory of diving catches and blink-and-miss-it double-play exchanges that frequently earn applause – and in senior outfielder Krista Kelly's case, ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 appearances – for Longwood's other fielders. What Batten does on a pitch-by-pitch basis is more finite, but requires an equally high level of athleticism and focus.
 
"A lot of times we'll forget just how strong of an athlete Bug really is," Longwood head coach Kathy Riley praised earlier this season. "She has tremendous hand-eye coordination, but other than that she's strong and quick with her feet."
 
Batten has put that hand-eye coordination on display not just behind the plate, but in the batter's box as well. Including this year's offensive breakout, she is a career .320 hitter who has drawn at least 25 walks every year and has led Longwood in batting average and RBI in each of the past two seasons.
 
Having such an asset behind the plate has played heavily into the success of Longwood's resident ace, Gay, who came to Longwood alongside Batten as a freshman in 2016. The chemistry between those two has played an integral role in the Lancers' two Big South Championships and back-to-back NCAA Regional Championship game appearances.
 
And Longwood's two stars are critical to the others success which is helped along with a chemistry formed on and off the field where in Batten's words the two are "best buds."
 
"We understand each other's personality a little better," Gay said. "I talk to her about giving me more of one pitch or another when I'm on the mound. We have developed more of a trusting relationship with each other, and we've talked more about what's working and what's not and try to help each other out."
 
Last season, before Longwood beat Liberty on its home field for the Big South Championship, assistant coach Kayla Miller approached Batten about calling pitches that game. That responsibility has continued into this season where Batten has split the duties with Miller, a rarity for collegiate catchers.
 
"I can see a lot more behind the plate than she can from the dugout, and that helps out," Batten said. "I'm very comfortable calling pitches, so this year Kayla has let that become my job."
 
An integral part of calling pitches is having the trust of your pitcher, and that's where Gay and Batten's chemistry come into play.
 
"A lot of times when we're out there, I'll just look at her and she looks at me and we're on the same page with a certain pitch," Batten said. "We can pretty much read each other's minds on the field which is not something that you can do with everybody. I think with us being so close, that really does help our team at the end of the day."
 
For Gay and Batten, they'll have an opportunity beginning Thursday to add to their already trophy-filled legacy at Longwood, as the Lancers begin a quest for their fourth straight Big South Championship. That journey begins at 2:30 p.m. against third-seeded Radford on ESPN+.
 
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