May 3, 2001

By Patrick Kinahan
The Salt Lake Tribune

SALT LAKE CITY - Wait on the hot dog run and put off the bathroom dash. You don't want to miss it.

Brigham Young softball sensation Oli Keohohou is strolling to the plate. Most likely for the Cougars, something great will happen.

It's no stretch to say Keohohou might the college game's best hitter. She's a Mark McGwire with a better batting average.

A right fielder, Keohohou leads the nation in hitting at .492 and has a slugging percentage (counting total bases) of better than 1.000.

The stunner is she may not even be the Mountain West Conference's best player.

Minus a few hits, Utah's Melissa Stahnke rivals Keohohou's offensive prowess. And she plays the more demanding position of shortstop.

Sit tight for her at-bat, too.

The two freshman sluggers will see plenty of each other Friday at Ute Field and Saturday at Miller Field in Provo as BYU and Utah close the regular season with two doubleheaders. There will be plenty of drama, with first-place Utah leading BYU by one game and Keohohou and Stahnke battling each other for statistical supremacy.

The players are tied with Florida Atlantic's Nicole Myers for the NCAA lead with 19 home runs. With 58 RBIs, Stahnke leads Keohohou by one, she's six short of the national leader.

At Newbury Park High in Southern California, Keohohou built a national reputation. The game's top programs clamored for her, leaving BYU coach Mary Kay Amicone to believe she did not have a prayer.

In its second year of Division I softball, BYU cannot match the reputation of a Washington or Arizona. But due to a variety of circumstances, including her desire to live in the BYU environment, Keohohou moved to Provo.

Credibility came with her.

"She's definitely a program builder," Amicone said.

Even if the bat stays on her shoulder. As would be expected, Keohohou often draws intentional walks.

Some teams, notably Iowa and New Mexico, refused to pitch to her. Coach Mona Stevens flatly states she would not let Keohohou beat Utah this week.

A disciplined hitter, Keohohou takes the free passes in stride.

"If they don't throw me my pitch before I have two strikes, I won't swing at anything," she said. "Usually when they walk me, I don't get frustrated. But it is boring."

With a stronger lineup surrounding her, Stahnke usually is not denied the chance to swing. But over the next three years, she will probably be forced to trot to first base many times.

Stevens first discovered Stahnke in an 18-and-under tournament a few years ago. Amazed by her maturity, Stevens made a mental note to contact her as soon as NCAA rules allowed.

From Ridgefield, Wash., Stahnke felt at home at Utah during her first visit. Last fall, Stevens wasted no time thrusting Stahnke into the heart of the lineup.

"I knew she had potential," Stevens said. "You know how freshmen are. You don't know if they'll be able to handle the pressure."

No problem.

Stahnke, who is hitting .347, already broke Sunny Smith's school season record for home runs and needs one RBI to also top Smith's mark. She probably will rewrite her own records before she finishes at Utah.

"I didn't even in my wildest dreams imagine that I'd be breaking the [home run] record as a freshman," Stahnke said. "I really didn't know how well I would do at the D-1 level. I'd never done it."

Keohohou, who wants to hit four home runs over the next four games, is not surprised by her season. She's doing nothing new.

She can't even understand what the big fuss is about.

"I don't think I'm doing as good as people think I'm doing," she said. "I feel I should be doing better in all areas."

Hard to imagine, in both cases.