Harrigan will play for NEC

Biz Harrigan rewrote the record books for pitching at Weston and will be playing for New England College (NEC) next year. A senior captain on the Weston softball team before graduating in June, she leaves as the team's all-time leader in strikeouts (306) and wins (20) and received the lifetime award for most records broken. She was also First Team All-SWC and All-State the past two years and was the Team MVP her junior year.

"It felt great and I was excited to see my hard work pay off," Harrigan said.

She played in the Senior All-Star game and hit a triple in it.

"I was really surprised I was asked to play and I enjoyed playing in it," Harrigan said. "I was getting frustrated because I didn't have a hit all game but I got my timing down and I made contact."

The Lady Trojans made the Class M playoffs for two straight years, which doesn't happen frequently, and they tied their record for most regular season wins ever with an 11-9 mark.

"Her work ethic, passion for the game and integrity made her who she is," Weston Coach Dave Lustberg said. "Biz works harder than anyone else in and out of season to make her the best player she can possibly be. We made the playoffs two straight years and tied our best record in recent memory this year and Biz was one of the reasons."

She was 9-6 with a 2.26 ERA this year with 35 walks and 88 strikeouts. Overall, Harrigan was 20-19 with a 2.66 ERA. In addition to her career records, she has the most wins in a season this year and last and set the schol record for strikeouts in a season with 131 in 2009.

The lefty Harrigan has been a force on the mound before becoming a Lady Trojan and she believes her evolution into becoming a high caliber pitcher began eight years ago.

"I started with one foot on the mound and I went to my pitching coach Mike Forsythe and he basically taught me everything," she said. "He taught me the whole motion and he taught me the sling shot motion."

She always knew pitching was her calling.

"I tried it out and I liked it," Harrigan said. "The more I worked at it, the more I got into it."

Sophomore year, she alternated between pitcher and first base with then-senior captain lefty Daria H (ask Dave or berk). By the end of the year, Harrigan became the starting pitcher and was All-SWC Honorable Mention.

"I was proud of myself," she recalled. "Every award I got, I was shocked."

She attributes her ascension to everyone's support as well as her desire to succeed.

"I worked hard all the time, I got my strength up and I gave everything I had," Harrigan said. "Mike helped me; Dave gave me support and wanted me to do well. I also had great support from my teammates."

Freshman year, she started on JV before moving up to varsity late in the year. Harrigan handled things well and showed she belonged at that level.

"It was really nerve racking and I was nervous when I was brought up to play because I didn't want to screw up but Dave told me to treat it like it was a practice," she recalled.

Having a vast repertoire of pitches makes her effective on the mound. Her ability to mix up her pitches kept opposing batters off-balance.

"I came up with a routine with my catcher Julia Roth where I throw a pitch at a certain time," Harrigan said. "You have to be able to throw them all. I didn't get into a set pattern unless it was a situation where I had to throw a certain pitch. I tried to throw what they didn't expect and keep them guessing."

The gamut of Harrigan's pitches includes the curveball, fastball, changeup, drop ball and screwball. The curveball is her favorite pitch, which she first learned last year.

"I just practiced it and I went to Mike two to three times a week," she said. "I just try to get it down and being a lefty, I have an advantage."

The fastball is her second best pitch, which tops out at 56 miles per hour.

"I just get my timing down and I stay focused," Harrigan said. "Technique is important too."

Having a strong arm and being able to lift 75-80 pounds also helps. Harrigan practices at ISP in Norwalk.

"I work out a lot and throwing makes me stronger," she said. "I do a lot of lifting as well."

Being a southpaw also helped.

"I never knew how much an advantage it was until I got to high school," Harrigan said. "My catcher told me it comes from a different angle and it throws off the batters."

At the plate, she's a tough out. Harrigan hit .333 this year with an on-base percentage of .452. She had two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 17 RBI, 17 runs scored and was walked 13 times.

"I worked with Mike a lot and practiced a lot in the cage," she said. "When we had indoor practice, I worked on my timing a lot. I learned the technique to use my feet and keep my heels off the ground. When the ball was at a certain point in the pitcher's hands, I dropped it."

Overal, Harrigan hit .313 with five home runs, 39 RBI, nine doubles, five triples, 37 runs and was walked 40 times.

Defensively, she's a consistent fielder on the hill and at first base. She's also consistent at all three outfield positions in catching fly balls and nailing base runners.

"I like it and it's a nice change of pace," Harrigan said. "I like having a break from pitching and first base and the outfield were nice. I did fielding practice with the team, which helped."

Life on the diamond began for her at age 4 when she started play T-ball. Her father got her into and coming from an athletic family also helped.

Growing up, she tried tennis, golf and soccer, but never stuck with it. In sixth grade, she began to play field hockey and played it through high school.

"I was very aggressive and competitive," Harrigan said.

In field hockey, she was an offensive player and contributed to the team's success.

Leadership is a strength of hers as she served as softball captain. Harrigan led by example through her work ethic.

"I loved it and I felt it was a good position for me," she said. "I like being there for the girls and having them look up to me."

Lustberg said, "She led by her performance, work ethic and attitude. She wasn't the talkative type and led mostly by example."

Academically, she is a good student. History is her favorite subject. Harrigan credits her ability to balance her school work with sports to having good teachers who were always available to help her.

She's majoring in communications at NEC in Henniker, N.H. and is undecided about her career goals. In order to excel for the Lady Pilgrims, she knows she'll have to raise her game to the next level. She'll strive to keep up with her peers and will work frequently in the weight room.

"I'll try to balance everything with school and softball and being there will help me," Harrigan said.

Lustberg said, "I think she'll do well. Biz is an excellent first baseman with a good glove and is a good quality outfielder with a good throwing arm. She's a good hitter as well."