PITTSBURGH — A center-piece in center field.

Mars graduate Erin Hershman is well on her way to becoming that for the University of Pittsburgh softball team.

“Erin can do a lot of things,” Pitt coach Holly Aprile said. “She’s got power and she’s the fastest player on the team.

“Definitely, we’re counting on her to be a key figure in this program moving forward.”

Hershman hit .500 with nine homers as a senior at Mars in 2014, helping the Planets reach the WPIAL championship game. As a freshman at Pitt last spring, she hit .241 with four homers — and 24 strikeouts — in 54 at bats.

The Panthers had a senior-laden outfield and Hershman’s playing time was relegated to designated hitter.

“That affected me mentally,” she said of playing DH. “I felt like I was only in the game part of the time. It definitely helps when you get a chance to play the field.

“It’s hard coming off the bench cold to hit against pitching like that.”

And pitching “like that” was not what she was accustomed to seeing in high school.

“Freshmen facing Division I college pitching is so difficult,” Aprile said. “The faster speed is only part of it. The movement on the ball is something high school hitters have never seen.

“The pitchers they hit .500 against in high school, they’re not here anymore. Now you’re facing the pitchers you hit .200 against in high school.”

But Hershman seems to have made the adjustment this season.

Through 15 games, she’s hitting .350 (14 for 40) with two doubles, two homers, 12 RBI and three stolen bases. Hershman has struck out only seven times, walked 11 and carries a .490 on-base percentage.

“I’m being a lot more aggressive at the plate now,” she said. “Last year, I put myself in ‘strike 2’ situations far too often. I don’t hit well with two strikes on me.

“This year, I’m ready to hit the first good pitch I see.”

In college, that may be the only good pitch she’ll see.

“That’s another big difference at this level,” Aprile said. “In a high school at bat, you might see three or four good pitches to hit. In college, you’re getting one and that’s it. You have to be ready to hit it.”

While Hershman’s collegiate career is turning the corner, Pitt’s softball program is doing the same.

The Panthers have had women’s softball since 1998. Last year’s 37-22 record — and trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game — marked the best in Pitt history.

The team is 11-4 thus far this year and will play in the San Diego Invitational in California this weekend.

With all three starting outfielders graduated from the 2015 team, Hershman has settled in as the Panthers’ starting center fielder. She was Mars’ catcher as a freshman, second baseman as a sophomore, shortstop as a junior and center fielder as a senior.

“I prefer the infield because you get more action,” she said. “But center field is good, too, because I like to run.”

She ran down a ball in left-center field in a win over Providence recently, helping to preserve a perfect game for freshman pitcher Sarah Dawson. The perfect game was the first in Pitt softball history.

“It was cool to play in a game like that,” Hershman said.

Aprile and the Pitt coaching staff continue to hone and develop Hershman’s talents on the field.

“Her communication skills are improving in the outfield. We like her to take charge out there,” Aprile said. “At the plate, we have her bunting a little more and running on the bases.

“But Erin is a definite power hitter. She’ll get her share of doubles and home runs.”

Hershman admitted that “every time I’m on first base and there’s no one on second, I pretty much get the green light to go. It’s fun. I should get a lot of stolen bases.”

Hershman’s career goal is to become a speech pathologist.

For now, she’s talking loudly on the field.

“We have what it takes to get back to the ACC finals,” she declared. “I want to be a part of championships here.

“The potential is here. There is great talent on this team. But it has to come one play at a time. Just relax and play.”