Softball Preview: Returners, Newcomers Will Shoulder The Pitching Load For Local Teams

Posted: March 15, 2014
By ROBERT STOCKS
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Softball teams usually rely on their No. 1 pitcher to throw the majority of the innings, and several area teams will be looking at new players to shoulder the load in the pitcher’s circle this year.

Clarke County lost longtime ace Sarah Herndon, who led the area in wins (14), earned-run average (1.40) and strikeouts (136 in 104 innings), and Sherando must replace Courtney Reid, who notched 11 wins with a 2.17 ERA and 99 strikeouts. With both Herndon (now at Concord) and Reid (Tennessee Wesleyan) graduating, Sherando and Clarke must have pitchers step into more prominent roles this season.

“We’re probably going to see four different girls in the circle,” said Sherando third-year coach Clarence Smith, who expects Allison Bauer and Heidi Brown, as well as newcomers Sami Swecker and Niki Marshall, to pitch for the Warriors. “We’ll play defense behind our pitchers. We don’t have a Courtney Reid that’s going to throw seven [innings] every time out. We’ll stretch them out and hope they hit their stride around midseason.”

And Sherando won’t be the only team looking at more than one pitcher to pick up innings this year.

Clarke County will turn to junior Sarah Miller (4-1, 2.48 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 31 innings) and senior Carrie Gibson to handle the majority of the innings.

Eagles coach Susan Grubbs said her team will try to rely on pitching and solid defense without Herndon, who could be overpowering at times.

“I think our fielding has been pretty good. We don’t really have the strikeout pitchers,” said Grubbs, whose team must also replace outfielders Olivia Gore (who led the area in hitting at .544, RBIs with 33, and scored 33 runs and is now a freshman at W.Va. Wesleyan) and Megan Rion (.506, 18 RBIs, and an area-best 39 runs and is now at Shenandoah University). “Our pitchers know they’re going to have to move the ball around.”

Although Clarke and Sherando need to have new players step into more prominent roles in the circle, both James Wood and Millbrook return more than one pitcher from last season.

Colonels senior Kierstyn Peacoe (8-8, 2.07 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 94 innings) and junior Taylor Rizzari return, giving Wood a pair of experienced pitchers to rely on.

“We’ve got our ace pitcher back and we’re looking forward to her having a great senior season,” said James Wood coach Ted McDaniel of Peacoe. “We’ll live and die by Peacoe’s arm. She’s a tremendous player and one of the best I’ve ever coached.”

With experienced pitchers returning, some of the area coaches said James Wood and Millbrook, who boasts three returning pitchers in Mackenzi Steele, Sarah Clark and Hannah Lockhart (a transfer from Handley), might be the teams to beat in the Northwestern with Skyline also losing pitcher Sarah Beamer (now a freshman at U.Va.-Wise) to graduation.

“You have the incumbent in James Wood [who won the district tournament last season] and they return Peacoe, and Millbrook has a stable of three ladies who throw pretty well,” Smith said. “Steele, Clark and Lockhart — those three have quite a lot of innings in the circle.”

The Pioneers return all of their players but two — four-year starter Megan Atlee and leadoff-hitter Maria Anderson.

“We’re looking forward to great senior and upperclassmen leadership,” said Millbrook coach Mandee Madden. “I think experience is a strength in the fact that most of my girls have a year of varsity play under their belt.”

The Northwestern District teams will play each other three times again this season. With the Virginia High School League’s new six classification system, there won’t be a Northwestern District Tournament, but the district records (based on winning percentage) will be used for seeding for the single-elimination conference tournaments.

The two finalists in the conference tournaments advance to the single-elimination regional tournament. The top two teams from the regional tournaments advance to the state semifinals.

James Wood, Sherando and Millbrook are now members of Conference 21 of the 4A North Region along with Woodgrove, Park View, Loudoun County, Heritage and Dominion. Handley is now a member of Conference 23 (also in the 4A North) with Harrisonburg, Amherst County, Louisa County, Fluvanna County and Charlottesville.

Clarke County is now a member of Conference 35 in the 2A East with Page County, Luray, Stonewall Jackson, Strasburg, George Mason, and Madison County.

The Bull Run District will have a tournament, but the postseason begins with the Conference 35 Tournament this year.

“Our conference is going to be tough because you’ve got Page and Luray and Madison, George Mason and Strasburg” said Grubbs, who will have former player Sara Fields back as an assistant coach this year. “It’s a strong conference. Four of the six made regionals last year, and it’s not going to work that way this year.”

Ashley Dupski takes over as the interim coach at Handley for Angie Fisher, who went 3-34 in two seasons with the Judges.

The following is a glance at the area teams:

Sherando

Coach: Clarence Smith, third year

Last year: 11-9, 8-4 Northwestern

Key losses: Katie Seymour, Courtney Reid, Megan Leake, Haley Miles, Rebekah Tanis.

Top returning players: Michaela Carper, Jr. SS (.319 batting average, 14 RBIs, 19 runs); Heidi Brown, Jr. 1B/P (.277, 12 RBIs, 15 runs); Sara Stickman, Jr. 2B; Allison Bauer, Jr. 3B/P (15 RBIs, 12 runs); Carly Nixon, Jr. CF (17 RBIs, nine runs); Ashley Saville, Sr. OF.

Key newcomers: Jessy Shipman, Sr. C (transfer from Wood .370, 11 RBIs, 15 runs); Katie Manson, Jr. 3B/C; Sami Swecker, Jr. P/IF; Maryssa Walker, Jr. OF; Niki Marshall, Soph. P/OF.

Quote: “Our team defense — I’m willing to put it up against anyone. I like what we can do, and if we can get that pitching, then I like us as a darkhorse. We’re sort of an underdog, but that’s fine. I think the girls are OK in that role.”

Opener: Monday, at Potomac Falls, 6

Clarke County

Coach: Susan Grubbs, 26th year

Last year: 19-5, 12-2 Bull Run (lost to Dan River 7-1 in regional semifinals).

Key losses: Olivia Gore, Sarah Herndon, Megan Rion, Helen Good and Becky Smith.

Top returning players: Lexi Call, Sr. IF (.390, 17 RBIs, 27 runs); Carrie Gibson, Sr. P/OF (.313, 13 RBIs, 12 runs); Morganne Ottobre, Sr. 1B/OF (13 runs); Alex Jackson Sr. C/OF (.339, nine RBIs, 18 runs); Stephanie Nelson, Sr. OF; Allie Hicks, Jr. DP/C (10 runs); Sarah Miller, Jr. P.

Key newcomers: Kendall Benoit, Fr. UT; Tiffani Adams, Fr. OF/IF.

Quote: “I think we have a real talented team. We may not have the superstars but we have a lot of talented young ladies who are working really hard. We have a lot of potential. We always have our goals high and want to be at the top of the district to go on in the postseason. We’re young in some ways, but we also have some experience back.”

Opener: Monday, vs. Handley, 5

James Wood

Coach: Ted McDaniel, 14th year

Last year: 9-13, 6-6 Northwestern, Northwestern District tournament champions, lost to Loudoun County 3-1 in Region II first round.

Key losses: Charlotte Viands, Rachael Largent and Jessy Shipman (transferred to Sherando).

Top returning players: Kierstyn Peacoe, Sr. P (.347, 11 RBIs, 15 runs); Hayley Whitacre, Sr. C (.278, 11 RBIs); Whitney Dick Sr. OF (11 runs); Taylor Rizzari, Jr. OF/P (nine RBIs, 12 runs); Laura Gates, Jr. IF; Kate Hickey, Jr. OF.

Key newcomers: Alyssa Brown, Fr. IF; Courteney Harper, Fr. P/SS; Sarah Garis, Soph. P/IF; Taylor Woolsey, Soph. OF; Kayla Seal, Soph. C/IF.

Quote: “We lost three of our top four hitters, but I’m looking forward to our returning players stepping up. We feel we have a very fast team and we’ve been working on small ball. It should be an exciting year for us, but we’ve got a very brutal schedule. Musselman (W.Va.) won 25 games, and we also play Fauquier, Clarke and Luray, so we’ll be tested in every game.”

Opener: Thursday, vs. Luray, 6

Millbrook

Coach: Mandee Madden, second year

Last year: 10-12, 5-7 Northwestern

Key losses: Megan Atlee and Maria Anderson.

Top returning players: Sydney Barr, Sr. CF (.304, 15 runs); Sarah Clark, Jr. IF (.382, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs); Kelly Jenkins, Jr. IF; Marisa Lee, Sr. OF; Lexi Payne Jr. OF; Becca Miller, Jr. OF (10 runs); Mackenzi Steele, Sr. P; Emily Ringer Jr. C (.344, 15 RBIs, 15 runs); Natalie Roy, Jr. C.

Key newcomers: Hannah Lockhart Jr. P/2B; Hannah Croyle, Soph. 1B; Beth Gloyd, Jr. OF.

Quote: “We’re excited to be in a conference with such good talent. It challenges us everyday. With teams like James Wood and Sherando — and Skyline has a had a very good program — it’s anybody’s game [in the district]. We’re excited about the competition but we have a lot to get ready for. We don’t have any slack teams on our schedule, so we have to come ready to play.”

Opener: Monday, vs. Heritage, 5

Handley

Coach: Ashley Dupski, interim coach

Last year: 1-17, 0-12 Northwestern

Key losses: Hannah Lockhart, Kara Riley, Joceyln Bercian and Ashley Siburt.

Top returning players: Logan Gallogly, Sr. 3B; Shanquetta Butler, Sr. 1B; Cattie Whittle, Jr. C; Oakley Johnson, Jr. SS; Lizzy Beaudoin, Soph. 2B; Katherine Ramey P.

Key newcomers: Robin Blowers, Fr. P; Callie Veach, Jr. 2B/OF; Alexis White, Fr. LF; Tiarah Tannell, Soph. OF; Jada Wilson, Soph. CF; Trea Johnson, Soph. OF.

Quote: “We have to go back to the basics on a lot of [things]. The returning players are being a big help going over the routines. The newcomers seem to be catching on. I think we’ll have a pretty decent season. We have a lot to work on, but I think we’ll be good to go. I’ve moved some people around from last year to have a better fit, and I think it’s working out well.”

Opener: Monday, at Clarke, 5

— Contact Robert Stocks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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