Steals have defined Malene’s career

The record was 60 feet away. It was Sarah Malene's for the taking and there was really nothing LaSalle catcher Shannon Skomorucha could do about it.

Charlotte's senior second baseman had just singled to lead off the second game of a double header in Philadelphia and one base stood between her and a career milestone that she'd been chasing all season.

A steal sign wasn't even necessary.

When Malene is on base with no one in front of her, the 49ers offense goes into what head coach Aimee DeVos refers to as "go mode."

Only this time, Malene created something more than a first-inning rally when she slid safely into second base to become Charlotte's career stolen base leader.

"I definitely wanted to steal a lot of bases," she said. "But I didn't picture it all happening like this."

History just sort of snuck up on her.

She played her way into the starting lineup by batting .374 as a freshman and, without even realizing it, became one of the most feared leadoff hitters in the Atlantic 10—one who has stolen 87 bases in 102 career attempts heading into Thursday's Atlantic 10 Tournament game against St. Louis at Fordham University.

"My recruiting search has changed a bit over the last few years because of the offensive impact a player like Sarah has had on our team," DeVos said. "I want another player who can bat at truly the toughest spot in the order and then put the defense into all kinds of trouble because they know she is going to steal a base or score a run."

Speed has always been Malene's greatest asset. She can practically out-run the wind, but the 5-foot-3 right-hander earned all-state honors twice during a spectacular career at Gar-Field High School for the same reason that she was the 49ers' MVP last spring—because she creates havoc on the bases.

"I have always found it difficult and frustrating to coach against a team that has a leadoff batter who can steal bases and put their team into scoring position without sacrificing an out," DeVos said. "As a coach with that base stealing threat, I can honestly say I love being able to flip the table on someone else.

"I like playing 'small ball' and find that it was just as successful when done right as having a huge power-hitting team."

The 49ers won 32 games during the regular season and are the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament mainly because Malene's on-base percentage (.354) rivals her career batting average (.314). She leads the conference in stolen bases (a school-record 36 in 39 attempts) and has scored more runs (150) during her career than any player to ever wear a Charlotte jersey.

"I haven't changed too much [since high school]," she said. "I still bat on the right side. I'm still the same player, just trying to get on base and use my speed.

"I try not to put too much pressure on myself and just let things happen."

Malene arrived in Charlotte with shortstop Cee Brooks in the fall of 2005 and the two middle infielders immediately became a foundation of the 49ers' future as freshman members of the All-Atlantic 10 first team.

They've been a part of the starting lineup ever since.

The following season, Malene started all 57 games and established a new school record for runs scored with 42—four of those coming on April 18, when she went 3 for 3 with a triple and two home runs in a 6-0 victory at Appalachian State.

"I didn't actually hit a home run until I got to college," she said. "I'd been working on my swing, but the first time I hit one I couldn't believe it."

When Malene was waiting on deck prior to her sixth-inning at-bat, one of her teammates teased her by saying, "Why don't you hit another one?"

So she did, lofting a solo shot to left-center field.

"I've never been a power hitter," she said. "So that felt pretty good."

Still, Malene's primary focus is to get on base and she accomplished that by batting .316 and setting a school record with 33 walks last spring. She eclipsed her own runs record as well, scoring 46 in a junior season during which she also led the conference with 29 stolen bases.

"Sarah's impact on the softball program was felt from day one. She comes to the softball field focused, works hard and then many times will leave practice and go to work out some more on her own," DeVos said. "She takes a lot of pride in her sport and her talents and wants to perform at the highest level every time she comes out.

"Her aggressiveness has been a steady climb over the last four years. She has always had the speed but she has the confidence and instinct to steal bases now," the coach added. "She is very versatile. She can beat out an infield ground ball, place a hit in a gap or draw a walk. And once she lands herself on first base, it's go mode from there."

Before she graduates this spring with a degree in marketing and a minor in management information systems, Malene has one more softball goal to pursue—clinching the program's first NCAA Tournament berth.

"We feel like we've done a good job in our conference this year and that we can win the [Atlantic 10] tournament. We can definitely do it," she said. "This could be the year that we beat [nationally-ranked and No. 1 seed] UMass. We have the team that can do it."