Megan Roark: From walk-on to starter

Many athletes give up the dream of playing college sports soon after they graduate from high school. They wait and wait for recruitment letters and visits from college coaches. But eventually, day after day of peering into empty mailboxes spells disappointment. They pack their letter jackets and trophies into boxes and stuff them into the back of the closet, accepting their fate. \nJunior pitcher Megan Roark is not one of those athletes.\n"The only recruitment letter I ever got was for the University of Delaware's volleyball team," Roark said. "I wasn't even that good at volleyball."\nThe only college interested in her wanted her for the wrong sport, but Roark was not dissuaded from pursuing the sport she really loved -- softball, she said.\nAs the starting pitcher for the College Park High School Falcons in Pleasant Hill, Calif., Roark pitched almost every game while playing varsity all four years. Her junior year she earned All-State honors as her team went on to win the Northern California Sectional, losing only one game the entire season.\nAfter her high-school run ended, Roark could have been one of those athletes who let their dream die, but she would not give up.\nWhen choosing a college, Roark knew after one visit to IU that Bloomington was the place she wanted to be.\nDuring her only visit to IU, she met with then-head softball coach Diane Stephenson who told her if she tried out Roark would earn a walk-on spot on the roster. When Stephenson was replaced during the summer before Roark was to come to IU, the spot which had been promised seemed in jeopardy.\n"I came into conditioning and practice, and the coaches just told me to show up and pitch one day," Roark said. "I must have thrown alright because I made the team."\nRoark would throw more than "alright" her entire freshman season, compiling a 4-1 record with a 3.28 ERA, second best on the team.\nSince then, Roark has evolved from a freshman walk-on to one of the top pitchers on the Hoosier roster.\nIn her senior season, Stormy Hanson caught for Roark, and now a member of the coaching staff, Hanson has seen the growth in Roark's game.\n"As a freshman her role was to come in and pitch an inning or two and finish games," Hanson said. "Now we expect her to start a game and finish it off, and she is determined to be one of the best in the Big Ten." \nLast season, Roark started 25 games for the Hoosiers, finishing with a 1.95 ERA on the season. She recorded 149 strikeouts in 172 innings and pitched seven complete games as the Hoosiers finished with a 32-31 record.\nJunior catcher Tory Yamaguchi said when the team needs someone to step up, Roark is there.\n"Megan takes games into her own hands by leading by example," Yamaguchi said.\nRoark did exactly that in the Hoosiers' 7-0 win against Southern University Feb. 18, pitching the first no-hitter in four years at IU. \nAlthough Roark has traveled a long road of more than 2,500 miles and various bumps and bruises to accomplish what she has as a player, she says she would do it all again in a heartbeat.\n"I came out here not really expecting to make the team," she said. "And it has turned out to be such a great experience for me."\nRoark will have the opportunity to pitch in front of her family for the first time this year as IU travels to Long Beach, Calif., for the Long Beach State Tournament from March 11 to 13.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Kevin Dwire at kdwire@indiana.edu.