Pitcher perfect

By John Kovach

Canfield’s Danilov dazzles on JCU mound

She was the shortstop on Canfield’s 2008 state championship team.

Early instruction from a knowledgeable pitching coach is one of the main reasons that Canfield High’s Brittany Danilov has been named the top softball pitcher in the Ohio Athletic Conference in her freshman year at John Carroll University in University Heights.

“From the time I was 9 or so, I would go to Akron with my dad early Saturday or Sunday mornings, and I would take lessons from Denise Roadman. She taught me all my pitches and I still go to see her [for help],” said Danilov, who led the OAC in earned-run average (1.55) and was second in wins (20-7 record) and strikeouts (154) this season.

“It is really nice to have [Roadman as an instructor],” Danilov said. She was a pitcher herself for [Cleveland State]. She really knows how to make adjustments that will improve movement on the ball.”

Danilov won the John Wells OAC Pitcher of the Year and OAC Rookie of the Year awards — the first John Carroll pitcher to win either — and made the All-OAC First Team.

Danilov played shortstop for the 2008 Canfield High softball team that won the Division II state title.

Her mound career has blossomed by developing an array of pitches, primarily breaking stuff, and the mental toughness to throw them with confidence and poise.

“I have about seven pitches, said Danilov, an accounting major and the daughter of Sally (Shirilla) and Tim Danilov. “I mostly throw my drop, curve and screwball.

“The screwball is thrown inside and the curve outside,” Danilov said. “I like to get ahead of the batters in the count and get the batters to go for the drop pitch, and hit some grounders for easy outs.

“I never throw fast balls in game. It is just so easy to give up hits to a batter. The pitchers that have ball movement, they usually don’t give up too many hits, especially for drop balls.”

She said that pre-game scouting reports on batters and game-long evaluations of them by herself as she pitches have helped her to select the right pitches.

“Before the game, we get a scouting report on the batters. [Coach Erin Kingsbury] lets us know which are power hitters, slappers which person has which abilities, and go from there,” Danilov said. “I also have to remember what [each batter] did before when they batted and how they handled certain pitches. It is an evaluation process the whole game.”

Kingsbury said that one of Danilov’s important attributes is that she “is mentally tough beyond her years, and as a freshmen, proved to play an important role in our success this year.”

Danilov helped John Carroll to a 28-11 record, including 13-5 in the OAC for second place behind Ohio Northern (16-2), and to a berth in the OAC Championship Tournament.

But she did not have strong season finish.

After pitching the Blue Streaks to a 6-2 in over Mount Union in the tourney opener with an eight-hitter and seven strikeouts, Danilov lost two games and the Blue Streaks were eliminated.

She had an eight-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 4-1 loss to Ohio Northern, and then gave up 13 hits with only four strikeouts in a 6-0 loss to Mount Union.

ONU went on to beat MUC, 7-3, to win the OAC meet title.

The Polar Bears, as the OAC’s league champion, automatically qualified for the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.

“That was my fourth time pitching against [Mount Union] this year and it gave them time to catch on to what I was throwing, and they started getting runs in the later innings,” said Danilov, who beat MUC in a doubleheader on April 1.

Danilov, who hopes to improve next season by getting ahead of batters in the count, comes from an athletic family from Campbell.

Her grandfather, Eli Danilov, coached basketball at Campbell Memorial High, while her uncle, Brian Danilov, is the Red Devils’ boys basketball coach. Another uncle, George Shirilla, pitched for Georgia Tech.

In addition, Brittany’s grandmother, Mary (Shirilla) Modak, had two brothers, Mike and Dan Modak, who were well-known athletes. Mike pitched for the Cincinnati Reds while Dan was football coach at Hubbard High.

Also making the All-OAC team was Mara Palombaro, a sophomore catcher for Mount Union from Cardinal Mooney High and Boardman. Palombaro made the second team for the second straight year.

Palombaro was the fifth-leading hitter for Mount Union with a .316 average with 27 RBIs and 11 doubles, helping the Purple Raiders to a 28-16 record, including 12-6 in the OAC.

kovach@vindy.com