Whitney Dropsey heard the unfamiliar words “Strike three” as she exited the batter’s box last Saturday.

It marked the first time the Hiram junior centerfielder/pitcher had struck out in her college career. When she swung and missed at an 0-2 pitch during an eventual 3-2 North Coast Athletic Conference tournament win over Ohio Wesleyan, it was the first time in 354 at-bats that a pitcher managed to strike her out.

Experiencing her first strikeout against college competition didn’t have the shock effect one might expect.

“It happened in the first inning,” Dropsey said. “I was pitching that game, so when it happened, it was just over with.”

Still, all of her teammates and coaches knew a monumental streak had come to an end, and they tried to console her.

“Everyone was saying, ‘It’s OK,’ ” said Dropsey, who is majoring in biology with plans to become a pediatrician or orthopedics doctor later in life. “It was cool the way everyone was trying to keep my spirits up.”

Since she went to batting exclusively from the left side of the plate, Dropsey has been a tough person for opposing pitchers to fan.

“I switched when I was 12 years old,” Dropsey said. “When I was younger, I wasn’t much of a contact hitter at all.”

Now she can probably write a book on how to put the ball in play. The last two years she has won the NCAA Division III “Toughest to Strike Out” award.

“I didn’t even know they had awards for this,” said Dropsey, who also plays outside defender on the Hiram soccer team in the fall. “My first year I didn’t realize that I had gone the whole year without striking out until the coach said something. I just didn’t think about it. But once people found out about it, I got asked about it a lot.”

In the game where she suffered her first strikeout, Dropsey threw six strong innings, allowing seven hits and two runs.

She later celebrated with her team as shortstop Stephanie Zunic hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Terriers the victory.

Dropsey, 17-8, was the winning pitcher the next day when Hiram defeated Allegheny, 4-2, to win the NCAC tournament and secure the Terriers’ first trip to the NCAA tournament.

“The last thing I look at is statistics,” Dropsey said. “As long as we’re winning, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’d rather have a championship than not strike out.”

During her college career, Dropsey has been one of the main offensive weapons for the Terriers. This season she is hitting .333 with five doubles and 17 runs batted in.

The Terriers, 26-14, open NCAA play Thursday against DePauw, which is hosting a seven-team first round.

“We’re all excited about it,” Dropsey said. “None of us have been through this, but we will try to stay relaxed and play like we have all season.”