FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — The toughest pitcher Trinity Edge faced during the offseason was heartless.

And faceless. And, well, armless, too.

Edge, a senior on the Franklin softball team, took her cuts against a pitching machine that threw a variety of nasty offerings.

Rise balls. Curveballs. Changeups. Fastballs (of course), and a rather wicked drop ball.

It was all part of Edge’s plan to take her game even higher than the lofty levels it has already reached.

“I’ve been working on mainly hitting movement. I’m kind of taking it to the next level, I guess, instead of just work off an old tee,” Edge said. “We use this pitching machine that throws drop balls. It’s a little drastic, but it gets the job done. It’s unrealistic, honestly. Girls at my level aren’t gonna have a drop ball that it’s throwing, but it’s getting me prepared for college.”

Franklin High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.

Edge has already proven she can handle almost anything thrown at her — from mechanical to flesh and blood alike.

Last season, Edge turned in a monster season for the Knights, batting .586 with four home runs, 10 doubles, and 24 RBI. She was a dangerous baserunner, as well, swiping eight bases and scoring 31 runs.

As a pitcher, she also shined. She was 16-4 with a 2.48 ERA. In 124⅓ innings pitched, she struck out 171. The opposition hit just .209 against her.

Edge helped Franklin reach the District 10 Class 4A championship game and qualify for the PIAA playoffs.

She wants more this year. Much more.

“I’ve never really stopped,” Edge said about her work ethic. “I work throughout the winter. It’s going pretty well and I’m excited for us to start. Our first game is (Tuesday).”

While Edge was staring down a pitching machine with excellent stuff, she was also honing her own repertoire of baffling pitches.

She throws a fastball, changeup, drop-in, drop-out, and rise ball.

This offseason she added another pitch — a screwball.

“Last year I struggled with my drop ball, so this year, I definitely worked on improving that,” Edge said. “It’s definitely come a long way. And I added a new pitch — the screwball. I basically throw it the same way as a rise ball, so it wasn’t very complicated. I basically taught myself how to throw it. I threw it at the scrimmage the other day and I can control it pretty well.”

When Edge was nine, being a softball star was the furthest thing from her mind.

During her first softball practice back then, she cried in the dugout.

That attitude quickly waned and Edge became hooked on the sport.

Years later, she’s one of the best in District 10.

This season should be another good one for Franklin, especially with a determined Edge in the circle and mashing at the plate.

Edge believes she has taken another big step forward as a pitcher.

“I’ve noticed that I’m becoming more of a pitcher rather than a thrower,” she said.

Edge can also breathe easier now with her future decided.

Her goal had long been to play in college and this fall she made that official by committing to play at Waynesburg.

It was a culmination of a dream, one that spawned not long after she dried those dugout tears and committed herself completely to being the best softball player she could be.

To Edge, Waynesburg was an easy choice.

“Honestly, it was mainly the campus. I took a tour and it just screamed this is where you should be the next four years,” she said. “I was considering Penn State New Kensington, but I just really liked Waynesburg.”

Edge has an eclectic set of hobbies outside of softball.

Activities that give her a much-needed respite from the rigors of softball and allow her to recharge.

She loves to kayak.

Edge also devours good books, both 19th- and early 20th-century fiction and recently more contemporary tales.

Her favorite book is Pride and Prejudice, but some modern reads have threatened the top spot on her list.

“I read Violet Made of Thorns. That’s a good one,” Edge said. “And then this one’s not really in that genre, but I just recently read As Good as Dead and it’s definitely becoming my favorite.”

Reading hitters and pitchers, though, is her favorite pastime.

Even mechanical ones.

“I’m extremely excited about this season,” Edge said. “We definitely need to go into games not thinking we’re just going to show up and win every game. We need to take every game as it comes and just work as a team. I just want to help the team win any way I can and be able to stand up and be a leader.”

Franklin High School sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Redbank Chevrolet and DuBrook.