Noffsinger Finally Adjusts to College Life
It is fair to say, and key for our story, that Stefanie Noffsinger led a fairly sheltered, I-thought-that-only-happens-on-TV lifestyle.
So when Noffsinger, who was one of the county’s top pitchers at Huntington Beach High, left the affluence and comfort of her home for college, something figured to give. Unfortunately for Noffsinger, the casualty was her peace of mind.
To say her first semester at Michigan State was difficult would be correct, although not nearly descriptive enough. Miserable and possessing the grades to prove it, Noffsinger ran up an impressive phone bill during her first semester in East Lansing, Mich.
“I called home crying every day,” Noffsinger said. “It was the first time I was really away from home, and I didn’t have any friends.
“Being away from my mom was probably the toughest thing. Being away from my dad was tough too. Any time I had a problem my dad would fix it.”
Contributing to her poor state of mind was a class schedule that might scare away some master’s candidates. Noffsinger became a Spartan to play softball and she thought some growing pains would follow, but none quite so painful.
“Budgeting my time was probably the toughest thing I had to do,” she said. “With school and softball and trying to make friends, I didn’t have enough time. And I was taking a very difficult load, probably too difficult for an incoming freshman.”
Noffsinger, who had a 3.5 grade-point average in high school, won’t say how her grades wound up last semester. She said she passed all of her courses but that her grades were “pretty low.”
School and doing her own laundry weren’t Noffsinger’s only problems, Spartan Coach Jacquie Joseph said. Noffsinger creates added pressure by comparing herself to her sister, Martha, who was an All-American shortstop for Fresno State.
“Freshmen have a tough time adjusting whether they’re an hour away from campus or from California,” Joseph said. “It seems more traumatic if you can’t hop in a car and go home, but that’s not anything unusual.
“Stefanie carries a lot of baggage. She’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders because of who her sister is.
“In a lot of ways, I think it’s good that she’s here because she can make her own way. Nobody here knows who her sister is except for me, so I think she can be her own person and I think that’s helped.”
Steve Noffsinger agrees.
“Stefanie idolizes Martha,” said their father. “But whatever pressure Stefanie feels from Martha’s legacy is self-imposed because they’re totally different ballplayers.”
Stefanie is pretty good too. Noffsinger is 6-8 in 11 starts with a 2.87 earned-run average. She has one save, one shutout and 53 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings.
When not pitching, Noffsinger plays the outfield and is batting .224 with 10 runs batted in for Michigan State (15-13, 1-1 in the Big Ten). Moreover, she now has friends and a handle on her schoolwork.
“The adjustment was tough, but you also have to remember where I came from and that my parents almost did everything for me,” Noffsinger said, “so the adjustment would have been tough anywhere.”
Joseph is happy Noffsinger completed her transition.
“I’m real pleased with her progress,” Joseph said, “and I’m expecting a lot from her in the future.”
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Thanks for the memories: Center Leslie Ferguson of Redlands recently capped an outstanding career by being selected to the Division III All-American team.
Ferguson (La Habra High) set numerous school records, including Redlands’ all-time scoring and rebounding records. The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selected Ferguson player of the year this season.
* Keeping Track is a regular column in The Times following the progress of former Orange County athletes competing for colleges elsewhere. Readers with information for this feature may reach Jason Reid at (714) 966-5847 or send it by fax: (714) 966-5663.