A natural base stealer, and she never even knew it

BOSTON -- Erin Pagel says she enrolled at Suffolk University for an education, and over her four years there, she got more than she expected. The Braintree native learned how to steal.

Pagel will graduate next month as the NCAA Division 3 all-time base stealer.

The record fell during in a 7-1 Suffolk softball victory over host Pine Manor College in Brookline on April 13. She slapped out a first-inning single and stole second base to tie the mark of 157, set by Michelle Dlugosz of King's College in Pennsylvania in 2000.

Pagel didn't waste time picking up stolen base No. 158. On the next pitch, she went to third.

Holding a national sports record is a remarkable accomplishment in itself, but the story behind the story is even more impressive.

Pagel, who played softball in high school at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, never ran the bases before college. She never even went to bat, swung at a pitch, or reached base.

She was a pitcher and her high school coaches, she says, ''were afraid that I'd get hurt. They needed me more on the mound." So they used a designated hitter in her place.

That all changed at Suffolk, where her talent for the whole game, not just pitching, became evident -- and is reflected today in a cabinet full of trophies, awards and honors.

Pagel credits her ''terrific" coaches at Suffolk, Elaine Schwager and Shannon Downey, for her emergence as a hitter (career .362 batting average) and a threat on the bases (172 steals and counting as of the weekend).

''When I first joined the team as a freshman, they saw that I ran pretty fast and they wanted me to play in the field when I wasn't pitching. At first, I didn't know what to make of it," she recalls. But Schwager, Suffolk's head coach, saw the possibilities.

''We figured we could turn her into a slap hitter," said Schwager. ''Not only that, we changed her from a natural right-handed hitter to a left-handed hitter. She deserves the credit for making it work."

''I'm not a powerful person, and I'm not intimidating," said the 5-foot-7-inch Pagel. ''At the plate, they told me to have 'big eyes' and just make contact with the ball."

It worked. As freshman she batted .365. As a sophomore she improved to .380, and last year, as a junior, she hit .360. No, she isn't a power hitter. She just slaps at the ball. All but one of her 134 hits during her first three years were singles.

But Pagel proved she could get on base. Stealing? That was as unfamiliar as hitting.

''We wanted her to use her speed to steal bases. When we told her that, she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to slide into a base. She was afraid of getting hurt," said Schwager, ''but she's a quick learner."

That's where good coaching -- broadly defined -- comes in. ''They taught me more than just how to bat or steal bases. . . . They taught me about life. They taught me it is OK to be aggressive, not just on the athletic field, but in the world. There's nothing wrong with being aggressive." Especially on the base paths.

Pagel stole 39 bases and scored 28 runs as a freshman. She had 46 steals and scored 38 runs as a sophomore. Last year, Pagel had 49 steals and scored 45 runs. So far this year, she has 38 steals and scored 42 runs.

Besides teaching Pagel how to hit and how to run the bases, they also taught her smart pitching.

''When I was in high school, I only threw strikes," said Pagel. ''I didn't have any special pitches. I thought the idea was to throw the ball over the plate."

It worked in high school, but in college, with heavy-hitting lineups, you can't get away with that. As a pitcher Pagel was disappointing as a freshman. She had a 4-9 record and her earned-run average was 3.93.

''We had to teach her not to throw strikes," said Schwager. ''You have to throw balls outside the strike zone and have batters chase those pitches. Erin worked hard adding pitches, learning how to throw a spinner and a riser. And if you look at her record the next season, it is a good indicator of her hard work."

As a sophomore, Pagel was dominating on the mound. She was 16-7 with an ERA of 1.25. After striking out 55 as a freshman, she whiffed 184 the next season.

Her pitching, hitting and base running have earned Pagel plenty of postseason honors. As a sophomore, she was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and a regional All-American.

Despite all of the focus on the athletic field, she has been as successful in the classroom. A biology major, Pagel was named a first team Academic All-America.