Syracuse needs freshman AJ Kaiser’s power

To her teammates, coaches and trainers, Alexis Jordan Kaiser has always been “AJ.”

When Kaiser was seven years old, there were three girls on her little league softball team named Alexis. More than anything, Kaiser wanted to stand out.

At Syracuse, “AJ” has supplied power to the middle of the lineup. The freshman fits perfectly into first-year head coach Shannon Doepking’s vision of emphasizing home runs. Despite a midseason slump, Kaiser has harnessed her strength to lead Syracuse (20-25, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) in home runs. She’s done it as a designated hitter, after she lost the starting catcher role to Gianna Carideo while Kaiser recovered from a minor concussion.

Kaiser has hit five of the Orange’s 20 total home runs even though she’s missed 15 games.

“I expect a lot out of myself,” Kaiser said. “If anything, I expect more out of myself than I’ve been producing.”

In Kaiser’s first four collegiate games, the Tucson, Arizona native launched two home runs and recorded seven RBIs. Kaiser’s teammates weren’t surprised by her early power. She joined SU after leading her Canyon Del Oro (AZ) high school team to a 2017 State Championship with 14 home runs.

Heading into the season, Doepking implemented different swing patterns designed to generate more home runs. Some players struggled with changing their swings, Kaiser said, but she only had to make minor tweaks.

“I’ve always been a home run hitter,” Kaiser said. “Her having that vision has helped me a lot.”

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Led by Kaiser, Syracuse has surpassed last year’s total of 14 home runs, one of Doepking’s preseason goals.

But Kaiser’s hot streak to start the season didn’t last. After her home run against Indiana on Feb. 15, she went nearly two months until her next long ball. That drought included a four-game hitless streak and a 2-for-13 stretch. The higher level of pitching from Syracuse’s nonconference opponents, like No. 7 Florida, shook Kaiser’s confidence, she said.

During one practice, Kaiser was behind the plate, and a player foul-tipped a pitch into her facemask. The next pitch, it happened again. Kaiser’s ears rang and she felt dizzy, she said. She sat out a few minutes for the symptoms to settle, only for a third foul tip to nail her facemask after she returned. She missed roughly a week and a half with a concussion.

On April 23 against Binghamton, Kaiser played catcher for the first time since suffering the concussion, as Carideo has taken her spot as the starter.

“Gianna (Carideo) earned her spot back there,” Kaiser said. “She threw a few people out, and she’s doing her job. Right now, they need my bat.”

Now symptom-free, Kaiser was inserted back into the cleanup spot of Syracuse’s batting order. She’s hit two home runs in her past four games, mirroring the start of her season.

When opponents stopped delivering Kaiser inside pitches, she worked with Doepking on rotating her hips through her swing and getting her barrel on outside pitches. In the first game against Pitt on April 19, she stepped into a pitch well off the plate and sent it into the pine trees overlooking right-center field.

Later in the weekend series, she anticipated more outside pitches. Syracuse hadn’t recorded a hit until Kaiser ripped another outside fastball over the right field fence for a solo home run in a 6-1 loss.

“I’m really proud of her,” Carideo said. “She’s worked super hard to get here. She’s definitely just improved this whole season long, and now we’re just getting a glimpse of what she’s made of.”