Coming Home

How can you lead the nation in home runs and runs batted in and play in the College World Series in your first full season of college softball and not be perfectly happy?

Ask Jenny Topping.

She thought it would be cool to play at the University of Washington after a successful career at La Habra High. It was cool, all right. She found out, firsthand, about the rainy weather in the Pacific Northwest.

“I didn’t like going for a week without seeing the sun,” Topping said. “I enjoyed being away from home at first, but the newness of that wore off.”

Some philosophical differences also developed between Topping and Washington Coach Teresa Wilson.

Restless in Seattle, Topping decided to look elsewhere to continue her college career. She returned to her backyard at Cal State Fullerton, and has helped lead the Titans to a 27-8 record and No. 9 national ranking.

Topping had the game-winning hit Sunday when the host Titans won the Kia Klassic with a 1-0 victory over 11th-ranked DePaul in the championship game.

One of the Titan victories on the road to the title came against Washington, 8-1. Topping was zero for two with three walks in that game, but had three homers in the tournament.

The Titans beat 12th-ranked Washington, 10-1, Tuesday in a at Fullerton. They defeated Northwestern in a second game.

Topping leads the Big West Conference with a .430 batting average and 42 RBIs and shares the lead in home runs with teammate Yasmin Mossadeghi with 10.

“One of the things I like is that I feel comfortable here, and I don’t feel like I have to press,” Topping said. “Driving in runs is more important to me than hitting home runs.

“In high school, I was more of a gap hitter, with a lot of singles and doubles. You get a little stronger when you get to college and that makes a difference in your at-bats. But I don’t swing for home runs.”

Topping had 24 homers, 90 RBIs and a .438 batting average--fifth in the nation--as a redshirt freshman last season, when Washington finished 62-9. The Huskies advanced to the women’s College World Series but were beaten by national champion UCLA and Arizona after winning their opener.

Topping also played in eight games for Washington in 1999, hitting three homers and batting .375, but her season ended when she suffered torn knee ligaments. She took a medical redshirt season because of the injury.

“I grew a lot that year even though I wasn’t playing,” Topping said. “I got stronger physically, and my focus got better. There’s a lot more thinking in college ball than in high school, and I had a lot to learn. I learned a lot from those coaches.”

But that didn’t keep Topping from looking elsewhere after last season.

“When you’re in a program that is so tightly structured, you probably look for things that don’t make you happy,” Topping said. “I just decided Washington wasn’t the place for me.”

Wilson, in her ninth season as the Huskies’ coach, said she’s sorry things didn’t work out for Topping at Washington.

“There were some differences in philosophy,” Wilson said, declining to elaborate. “I have a lot of respect for her as a player. She’s a phenomenal athlete. If she was a guy playing baseball, she’d have a pro contract by now.”

Washington gave her a release to be eligible immediately at any school outside the Pac-10.

Topping, who grew up in Whittier, said she considered Nevada Las Vegas and Long Beach State, but chose Fullerton because of the team’s success last season under its first-year coach, Michelle Gromacki. The young Titans won the Big West title, advanced to an NCAA regional at Fresno and finished with a 45-15 record.

Another factor in Fullerton’s favor was Gromacki’s experience as a catcher in college and later in international competition.

“I thought I could learn a lot from her about catching,” Topping said, “and she’s helped me already.”

Gromacki said she has worked with Topping mostly on handling pitchers.

“She brings a lot more to this team than just home runs,” Gromacki said. “She’s an outstanding catcher and works well with the pitchers.”

Topping joined the team in January, less than a month before its first game.

“She was a little behind at the start,” Gromacki said. “There is always a process of adjustment when a new player comes in, but she has done very well. She has a strong will to win.”

Mossadeghi said Topping has been a welcome addition to the squad.

“She’s very open and I think everyone appreciates that,” Mossadeghi said. “I don’t hesitate to ask her something if I have a question. I’ll ask her about what pitches might get called by the catcher in certain situations and things like that. . . . We’ve all accepted her in a positive way.”