La Habra’s Topping Shows Power Trend Not Limited to Boys

The best-hitting high school catcher in the county may not be male.

Jenny Topping, a junior at La Habra High, has wowed softball players, coaches and spectators for three seasons with her powerful swing, strong arm and overall athletic excellence.

She leads the county in average (.592), though opponents pitch to her only when they have to. Last year, Topping hit .588 with seven home runs and and a county-leading 42 runs batted in.

And for those who think hitting a softball is easy, well, try hitting a ball--thrown from 40 feet away--that can rise, dip or curve at speeds of 80 mph or better.

Topping does it, county coaches say, because she is blessed with extraordinary reflexes that enable her to take a hard, full swing instead of the compact one often seen in the fast-pitch game. She is also quite strong in the upper and lower body; she generates power in her legs and hips, and gets tremendous bat speed from her wrists, arms and shoulders.

“In my opinion she is the finest non-pitching softball player in the country, not just the county,” Sonora Coach John Link said. “She is an incredible athlete, in a class by herself. A left-handed catcher who can control the game from behind the plate where most kids can’t. Any college in the country would be chomping at the bit to get her.”

Said Woodbridge Coach Alan Dugard: “Even taking a full swing she has a quick bat and will hurt you. You pitch her away or inside, it doesn’t do any good. No matter where you pitch it, she goes with it. She is one of three pure hitters in county, along with [Pacifica’s] Toni Mascarenas and [Woodbridge’s] Ashley Boone.”

La Habra Coach Sue Briquelet has been teaching the game for 12 years, and said she has never coached or seen a player quite like Topping.

“Jenny really pushes herself all the time,” Briquelet said. “One reason she will always improve is she works on every weakness. If she is not perfect in a game, I guarantee she will work on [the flaw] the next day.

“Jenny used to be a less-than-average runner. Now she is better than average just because she worked at it. She is beating out infield singles this year. Only a person can push themselves to be a better runner.”

Last year, Topping, 16, seemed ready to break the county record for home runs in a season (10), getting seven by early April. But she didn’t hit another as pitchers stopped throwing the ball anywhere she could hit it. This year, she has only two homers and 13 RBIs.

She said she understands the treatment.

“[Pitchers] try to make me chase balls out of the strike zone,” Topping said. “I have to take the walk when it is there. I don’t miss [hitting] the home runs. If it goes, it goes. I don’t pay attention to the stats. If I do, I lose focus.

“It doesn’t bother me if people say I’m gifted, because I think all softball players are gifted in one way or other. Unlike football, you’re not just offense or defense. You have to do everything to be a good player.”

Topping’s defense is nearly as heralded as her offense. Her being left-handed hasn’t proved a handicap behind the plate. Opponents rarely try to run on her, and they have to be careful about straying too far from the bag because Topping loves to pick off runners.

She also catches nearly everything thrown her way. “In her three years here, I think she’s had only one passed ball,” Briquelet said.

Senior right-hander Christina Gibbons, the ace of the La Habra staff this season at 12-6, has been throwing to Topping for two years, and has loved every minute of it.

“I’m not afraid to throw any pitch because she will stop anything,” said Gibbons, who counts a fastball, changeup, rise and drop among her repertoire.

“In softball, pitching is mostly about placement. Whenever she puts the target down, I try to throw it there. Even if it’s not close, she will catch it.”

Topping’s batting skills can be rough on her own team.

“When I to pitch to her in batting practice, I always have bruises on my legs from her line drives,” said Gibbons, laughing. “She is the reason we put a fence around me when I throw batting practice. And only for Jenny. I take it down for everyone else.”

Topping doesn’t confine her talent to her school team at La Habra. She also catches for the Cypress-based Gordon Panthers, an 18-and-under travel team that has won several national championships, including one this summer.

Topping wants to play in college but is keeping her school interests “secret” for now. She said she dreams of making the U.S. Olympic team in 2000.

“I like team sports, and I feel this is the best one,” said Topping, who also has dabbled in basketball and tennis. “It’s the only team sport I play.”