Positive Force : Westlake’s Davie Turns Negative Thoughts Into Pluses

She is probably the most dangerous left-handed hitter in the Valley; she runs like the wind and throws out base runners from deep center field.

But Westlake High softball player Cathy Davie said she has one weapon that surpasses them all--an asset that sometimes has been a liability--her mind.

In the past, if Davie struck out with runners in scoring position, committed an error, made a mental mistake or did anything counterproductive to team success, negative thoughts would creep into her head and reverberate for hours.

“I had a problem with negative energy, because I tend to over-analyze things too much,” said Davie, who today will play for the West team in the San Fernando Valley all-star game. “My mind is constantly going.”

Therefore, the senior who batted .322 and drove in 16 runs for a Westlake team that reached the semifinals of the Southern Section Division I playoffs won’t speculate on what she might do in the 4:30 p.m. game at Cal State Northridge.

“I’d like to play well, get some RBIs,” said Davie, who has a full scholarship to Michigan. “I’m trying not to think about what I want to do. It’s really spontaneous.”

So much pondering used to trouble Davie.

“It used to affect me a lot when something bad happened,” she said. “I’d get really down if I did bad. But when you do something bad, it’s a matter of taking that negative energy and transforming it into something positive.

“It’s a really hard thing to do, and it took me a while to be able to do that. But I’ve managed to turn it around.”

Indeed, she has.

Case in point: Playing in front of a large crowd in last week’s Ventura County all-star game, Davie dropped an easy fly ball hit by Buena’s Bevan Trueblood.

Kim Herman, also of Buena, skipped home with an unearned run for the West in a 3-0 victory over Davie’s East team.

Davie was momentarily stunned after the ball popped out of her glove but then she broke out in laughter.

People might recall Davie’s error rather than the fact she hit the two hardest balls of the night, both line-drive outs to center field.

But looking back on the 1995 season, Davie will be remembered for her four home runs, three triples, five doubles and her leadership at Westlake, a traditionally mediocre softball school.

“The best we’d ever done was 13-12,” Warrior assistant coach Gary McGinnis said. “This year we were 24-7 (second in league play). If it wasn’t for Cathy and (junior pitcher) Kelly DeArman we’d be a .500 team again.”

More often than not, Davie has been sensational. In the quarterfinals of the playoffs, Davie blasted a three-run homer in a 3-2, come-from-behind upset at Foothill.

Defense? McGinnis certainly will remember “the catch” rather than “the drop.” It came in a 3-0 loss to Marina.

“The ball was hit way over her head and she had to run 20-25 yards,” McGinnis said. “She caught it going away, over her head. The Marina coach even came up to her and congratulated her after that play.

“You look at her and say, ‘Gee, you’re an athlete.’ She runs like an athlete, moves like an athlete. I don’t think she has any fat on her body. It’s all muscle.”

She’s a powerhouse, all right. Twelve of her team-leading 30 hits went for extra bases. She has a quick, vicious swing that would make a lumberjack envious.

“She always hits it hard,” McGinnis said. “If it’s not right at someone, it’s a double or a triple. And she’s a daredevil on the bases. She slides headfirst.”

Contact? Davie struck out three times in 103 plate appearances for Westlake.

“I hate striking out,” she said.

But she once battled herself as much as she did opposing pitchers.

When Davie joined a top Orange County traveling team called the Nighthawks 18 months ago, Coach Albert Gomez detected her inner struggle, the result of negative coaching in the past.

“She had mental fatigue,” Gomez said. “I think she was looking for something that was uplifting. All she needed was somebody to believe in her and let her blossom, which she did.”

With Davie playing a big part, the Nighthawks finished sixth in the 1994 national tournament. Gomez said working with players’ psyches is his favorite task as a coach. Unlocking Davie’s potential was a challenge, he said.

“But that’s the part I love,” Gomez said. “Cathy is a unique, joyful individual. But it takes time and effort to see that.

“You have to let the love, heart, fun and desire for the game take over. She had the talent and she had the desire. We just had to build her confidence.”

Success is all mental Davie now says.

“The key is always being in contact with myself and who I am,” she said. “Having a strong mind and confidence. It’s really amazing what that can do.”

Davie used to play soccer and basketball. But it was the cerebral aspect of the game that now compels her to play only softball.

“I like this sport above all others because it’s a mental game,” she said. “There’s a lot of strategy you can use. There’s a lot of mind games you can play with the pitcher, and the pitcher with you.

“I learn something every game, whether it’s something mental or just another part of the game. It’s just like total focus all the time. It’s exhausting, mentally, when you’re done with the games. But I like it.”