I know ALOT of things you don't know, and the number one relevant one being that Bat's clutch issue sounds EXACTLY like the above descriptions from the original poster.

Bat's clutch, when pressed, was really limp, until nearly the very bottom of the travel, when it was practically rock hard, and only about 1/2 an inch of travel.

When trying to actually move the shifter from one gear to the next, it was rock hard, like you were fighting with an arm wrestler in order to get it into the next slot. Reverse was nearly impossible with the engine running.

With the engine off, shifting through the gears was considerably easier, but the clutch action was still screwy.

After the replacement, the clutch and shifter action is better than when she first bought the car.

And remember, all these issues were with just over 9k miles on her car.

BC.