The shortest player on the ASU softball team doesn't have a typical power-hitting frame.
That hasn't stopped 5-foot-4 freshman infielder Mindy Cowles from posting some of the Pac-10's best numbers this season.
Through 32 games, Cowles, a native of Riverside, Calif., leads the Pac-10 with 10 home runs, 35 runs scored and
68 total bases. Her 22 walks rank second in the Pac-10 and her 29 RBIs rank third.
"You don't look at her and think that she's the dynamite package that she is," ASU coach Linda Wells said. "She's compressed in that little body, but she plays a lot bigger than she looks."
Cowles leads No. 19 ASU in almost every offensive category. She boasts a .352 batting average and a .773 slugging percentage. She has a .482 on-base percentage, and she's hitting .500 with runners in scoring position. Cowles has 11 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI games.
"If you just observe her without actually watching her play, you'd say, 'How is this possible?' " Wells said. "Once you're around her, you see that not only does she have a very good swing, but her leverage is so good.
"She just levers herself so well that she overcomes what would look to be a size disadvantage. I think it turns into an advantage because she is so short and quick and compact in her swing."
Cowles' swing has produced some memorable moments this season.
Cowles went 4 for 8 from the plate with two home runs and a pair of doubles in the season-opening series against Texas-San Antonio. In ASU's
2-0 triumph over Hawaii, Cowles supplied ASU's only runs with back-to-back solo homers in the fourth and sixth innings.
Cowles had a grand slam and a three-run homer in ASU's 14-0 victory over Long Island. She marked two home runs and four RBIs in an 8-3 win against Rhode Island.
For Cowles, the key is to keep progressing at the plate, where she also has a dubious team high with 25 strikeouts.
"I'm happy with my performance so far this season," Cowles said. "I just hope I can keep it up through the better competition. You can always do better. I can always improve. Everyone can always improve."
The Sun Devils haven't felt Cowles' influence only at the plate. It has been felt all over the field.
Splitting time between second and third base, Cowles has committed just four errors. She has been successful in all eight of her stolen-base attempts, and she has totaled a 1.58 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched.
Wells said she wishes she could give Cowles more time in the circle.
"The reason I haven't is because we have such strength ahead of her and because when we pitch her, she's not playing defense," Wells said. "It has been difficult to take her out of the infield lineup."
For Cowles, team success is more important than individual accolades.
"I like to be a team player," she said. "You can't win with just one person, so I am doing whatever I can to help the team. When I'm batting, I'm just trying to get a base hit or hit the ball on the ground. When I'm out in the field, if I need to dive for the ball to not let the girl score, that's what I'm looking for -- whatever I can do."
Reach the reporter at jeremy.a.cluff@asu.edu.