Brockton Enterprise: Going Out In Style
By Jim Fenton
Brockton Enterprise
The routine was followed on a daily basis during her sophomore and junior softball seasons at C.W. Post.
Pitcher Christina Berardi of Raynham would undergo physical therapy before and after practices in order to deal with a herniated disc in her back in 2009 and 2010.
The ailment made things a bit difficult for the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High graduate after she started 26 games as a freshman on the 2008 Pioneers' team that reached the NCAA Div. 2 College World Series.
“It affected me a lot,'' said Berardi. “I played with the pain in my back. With my motion of leaning over and bending down and planting, that's when it hurt the most. When I landed, it really hurt the most.
“It was really hard, especially when you know you can play and can do it but have something slowing you down.''
Despite that obstacle, Berardi still managed to go 14-9 with a 1.58 earned run average and 9-4 with a 2.41 ERA the past two seasons.
Now that the back injury is no longer an issue for her, Berardi is ending her college career in style this season.
Entering Thursday's doubleheader against the New York Institute of Technology, Berardi had a 15-3 record with a 1.68 ERA, six shutouts and 112 strikeouts in 116 1-3 innings for the Pioneers.
“It's a huge weight off my shoulders,'' said Berardi of not being injured. “Now I can just worry about pitching and not anything else. I think I'm doing the best I've done here.''
Berardi, who had a 54-34 career record with a 1.71 ERA and 416 strikeouts in 517 innings before Thursday, has been a team leader for C.W. Post, which is ranked second in the East Region with a 28-8 mark.
After starting only 11 games and making 17 relief appearances as a junior, Berardi is the ace of the Pioneers' staff. She is second in the East Coast Conference in wins, tied for first in complete games, third in innings pitched and shutouts and fifth in strikeouts.
“She's definitely pitching at a whole other level,'' said C.W. Post coach Jamie Apicella. “I see a different maturity on the mound, more of a focus and determination to end her career on a very positive note.
“As a coach, it's a pleasure to see it. It's exciting to see it. You always want your seniors to go out on top. We always talk about taking steps each year and being your best at your game as a senior. Christina has definitely elevated her game and been a leader and arguably the MVP of the team.''
Following her career at B-R, Berardi got the chance to contribute right away at C.W. Post, going 16-8 with a 1.74 ERA on a team that was 48-16, won the East Regional and traveled to Houston for the nationals.
Berardi, who pitched in relief against Emporia State in the opening round of the national tourney, gained valuable experience right off the bat.
“It was a hard adjustment, but it really helped that the team I played with was so motivating and pushed you so much,'' she said. “Having them helped me adjust and do as well as I did freshman year.
“It was exciting (going to the nationals). It was nerve wracking coming in and being a freshman on a team that's already been there (the year before). They had high expectations and being able to go was a great experience.''
The back injury cropped up in March 2009 right around the time her sophomore season began. Berardi started 24 of the 29 games she appeared in and had a no-hitter against Caldwell, then did more relief work as a junior.
Last summer, Berardi pitched for a travel team and trained under the guidance of Nate Dorosario, a B-R assistant football coach, to prepare for her final season at C.W. Post.
“I could see a huge difference last summer,'' said Berardi, a psychology major who graduates next May. “I had a lot more confidence. I worked out harder over the summer and had my adrenaline going with it being my senior year. It helped.
“It's exciting. It helps having a team like we do backing you up with the defense and our offense is working so well right now. I think it helps just being healthy and going back to my original pitching style that I had my freshman year coming in.
“We got two new assistant coaches, a new pitching coach, so I was really comfortable with everything we were doing.''
The Pioneers should be receiving a bid to the NCAA Div. 2 tourney next month, and Berardi would like nothing better than to end her career the way it started _ with a trip to the College World Series.
“I definitely think we can do it,'' she said. “The way we're playing now we can get to the World Series.''