She didn’t like pitching. But now Julia Shearer is North Penn’s ace and a two-time Pa. Gatorade player of the year.

From her performance in the circle, you would never know North Penn senior Julia Shearer once hated pitching.

In fact, she dreaded it. The training was too intense; the spotlight was too bright. Plus, she already was a stellar center fielder.

But that was before the Maryland-bound southpaw led the Knights to a historic undefeated season last week and was named Gatorade Pennsylvania softball player of the year for the second consecutive season.

“It was a mix of how much work I had to put in,” Shearer said in a recent phone interview. “But also the pressure is all on me, and I think when I was younger I really felt that pressure.”

Don’t be confused. Shearer still feels the weight. Now she just meets the moment with mettle.

Last week’s PIAA Class 6A final against Hempfield Area supplied proof.

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Leading, 1-0, in the final frame, Shearer, who threw a perfect game in the District I title game, didn’t waver.

“I thrive off that pressure now,” she said. “I love being in big situations and coming out on top for my team. I feel like I zone in a lot more when I’m in pressure situations.”

Shearer struck out the side in order, keeping her opponents off-balance with a combination of changeups, riseballs, and overwhelming heat.

“My nerves were through the roof, I’m not going to lie,” she said with a laugh. “But I had the mentality that their order is going out 1-2-3. They’re not going to hit the ball. … I really just wanted to close it out for my team and close out my career on a 1-2-3 inning and strike out all three batters.”

The feat also capped North Penn’s undefeated season (28-0) with its second state title in three years, avenging last season’s PIAA semifinal loss to eventual champ Spring-Ford.

It was also a fitting end to an impeccable career that began as a center fielder.

“I’ve coached 30 years of high school softball,” North Penn coach Rick Torresani said over the phone. “She is the best player I’ve ever coached or ever seen play the game in the state.

“She does everything,” he continued. “She hits for power. She’s fast. She can steal. She hits for average. She hits in the gaps. She led the team in every hitting category, not just pitching.”

Torresani, who has been coaching at North Penn for 23 years, said Shearer was also likely the best center fielder he had ever coached.

Maryland even recruited her as a center fielder.

So how did she become a pitcher?

Shearer had excelled in the outfield as a sophomore while senior pitcher Mady Volpe, the state Gatorade player of the year in 2021, starred in the circle.

When Volpe graduated and left for Coastal Carolina, Torresani said, Shearer approached and said she wanted to pitch.

The pitching lessons she once avoided became more bearable as her skills improved.

“I’m not going to lie,” Shearer said with a chuckle, “I had a little bit of an attitude when I was younger, so I would tell my coaches ‘I don’t like this. I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to quit. Take me out.’”

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Looking back, she thinks burnout from pitching too often may have been the culprit.

“I wanted to quit, but they wouldn’t let me,” she said. “I thank them for that now. It was just too much on me as a young kid.”

So she pitched in high school for the first time as a junior. After a wildly successful season, Gatorade honored her for the first time. Torresani said even Maryland wanted her to pitch after that season.

Shearer had fallen in love with the process, the work.

“I love grinding on all my pitches, working on my spins, working on my speed,” she said. “Now I’m going to pitch in college and I’m actually really excited to do that when I never thought that would happen.”

That hard work and leadership is what Shearer hopes next year’s team takes from her. Early indications, according to Torresani, are that they have.

His team told him that they’ve heard rumblings around the area that they’ll be vulnerable without Shearer next season.

“It’s a week later,” he said, “and they’re already looking forward to it.”