2017 Softball Preview: Area teams loaded with pitching talent

WINCHESTER — While James Wood juniors Lani Spielman and Lauren King give the Colonels the luxury of having two talented pitchers to turn to in the pitcher’s circle, the other area teams don’t appear to be lacking in that department this season.

Sherando returns senior pitcher Marissa Webb and sophomore River Baird, Clarke County brings back juniors Jade Feltner and Megan Hicks, and Handley can count on sophomore Meghan Stokes.

Add in Millbrook freshman Ivy Rosenberry, Sherando freshman Lauren Smith and Clarke freshman Whitney Grubbs and runs might be much harder to come by this season, particularly in Conference 21 West action with defending Group 4A state champion Woodgrove (which has won six straight regional titles) and junior pitcher Camryn Dolby.

“You have that dynamic duo [Spielman and King] over at James Wood and they’re setting the standard [in the Winchester/Frederick County area],” Sherando coach Clarence Smith said. “Millbrook has a young lady [Rosenberry] that people say nothing but positive things about, and Handley returns the Stokes’ kid. So for the first time in a while, the four teams in the city-county area have formidable pitching and the type of pitching that can keep you in games.”

“[Woodgrove] — they’re the queen of the mountain so to speak, and the kid [Dolby] they put in the circle — she’s THE queen of the mountain.”

Overall, six area pitchers who accounted for 34 victories return this season. James Wood’s junior duo combined for 15 of those wins.

Spielman (10-5, 0.90 earned-run average, 114 strikeouts) and King (5-3, 1.69 ERA, 91 strikeouts) ranked first and second in the area in wins, earned-run average and strikeouts.

Webb went 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA and 32 strikeouts for the Warriors, while Baird finished 4-4 with 42 strikeouts in her first varsity season.

Millbrook coach Mandee Madden, a former standout at Handley, said it should be a challenging season with the type of pitching that most of the area teams now possess.

“I feel like everyone in the conference has a strong arm,” Madden said. “It’s going to come down to solid defense and who gets the timely hits.

“The arms in the area — I haven’t seen it like this in a long time. I grew up here and played here, and I haven’t seen this type of dominant pitching.”

James Wood coach Todd Baker said he’s been working with his team to be more patient at the plate because he believes runs will be tougher to come by this season.

“The local teams are going to be much stronger,” Baker said. “Millbrook has improved a lot with some young players, Handley will improve by just getting older and more mature and Sherando is always tough and it added some players that will really help. In the conference, everybody is chasing Woodgrove.

“Sherando has some young pitchers behind Webb, Millbrook picked up a freshman pitcher [Rosenberry] and she’s very capable and presents a challenge. Handley has [Stokes], so it’s going to come down to scoring enough runs to win games.”

Driving in runs wasn’t a problem for the Colonels, especially with junior and second team all-state catcher Lindsey Anderson.

Anderson, a first team All-Conference 21 West selection and The Winchester Star Player of the Year, batted .449 and led the area with eight homers and 36 RBIs and she also scored 21 runs.

Add in senior Courteney Harper (.371, 24 RBIs, an area-best 25 runs), senior Alyssa Brown (.439, 12 RBIs, 19 runs), King (.356, 21 RBIs, 15 runs) and Spielman (.306, 16 RBIs, 14 runs) and the Colonels shouldn’t be lacking offense.

Sherando also returns Baird, who hit an area-best .481 with 20 RBIs and 14 runs, Tori Seymour (.415, 20 RBIs, 24 runs), Korenn Paige (.333, 24 RBIs, 19 runs), Sarah Marshall (.345) and Webb (.339, 19 RBIs, 11 runs).

Handley’s Meghan Stokes hit .479 with 10 RBIs and 20 runs, Millbrook’s Katie Tirona led the Pioneers hitting .441 a season ago with eight RBIs, and Chelsea Trenary (.368, 18 RBIs, 16 runs) is Clarke’s top returning hitter from last season.

Although most teams have experienced players back who produced offensively last season, Smith believes it will be tough for offenses in Conference 21 West games because of what he expects will be much-improved pitching from each team.

“The top three pitchers reside at Woodgrove and James Wood,” Smith said. “But we have a budding rivalry with James Wood and those have been some of the best games in the area and conference. [The Colonels] got us two out of three games and the run differential was plus-2 for James Wood in those three games.

“We’re not taking anything for granted. We need to understand situational hitting. Runs could be at a premium this year, so we’re focusing on that for sure.”

Clarke County, coming off a 10-10 season, will face both Sherando and James Wood twice in the non-district portion of its schedule.

The Eagles return a versatile team with three pitchers, including a pair of left-handers in Feltner and Grubbs, the niece of longtime Eagles coach Susan Grubbs.

Susan Grubbs said James Wood and Sherando provide tough tests.

“They’ll both be strong and it’s good competition and will be stepping stones for what we see in our district,” Grubbs said. “It’s a good opportunity for our girls. A lot of our girls play travel together [with Sherando and Wood players] so we look forward to those games.”

Another set of games the Eagles are undoubtedly looking forward to will be the team’s trip to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports on April 9-13, which will be during Clarke’s spring break. The Eagles will play two scrimmage games during their four-night stay at Disney.

Clarke will also have a ceremony on March 25 during a doubleheader against Sherando at Charles O. Grubbs Field. The ceremony will honor Grubbs’ father, Charles, who died back on Oct. 1.

Susan Grubbs said there will be a new sign and scoreboard and the team will honor her father by wearing decals with his initials on their batting helmets this season.

Following is a glance at the area teams:

James Wood

Coach: Todd Baker, 3rd year

Last year: 16-8, 5-2 Northwestern District

Key losses: Taylor Woolsey (first team All-Conference 21 West), Sarah Garis, Caleigh Haskiell.

Top returnees: Lani Spielman, Jr. P/ IF (first team all-conference); Lindsay Anderson, Jr. C (first team all-conference); Lauren King, Jr. P/IF (second team all-conference); Alyssa Brown, Sr. IF (second team all-conference); Courteney Harper, Sr. IF (first team all-conference); Camryn Rizzari, Jr. OF (12 RBIs); Emma Van Horn, Soph. OF (13 runs); Haley Kaiser, Soph. OF (16 RBIs); Rebecca Boone, Soph. IF.

Key newcomers: Olivia Christian, Jr. DH/OF; Mackenzie McCarty, Fr. OF; Afton Sykes, Fr. OF.

Baker’s outlook: “It’s probably one of the most athletic groups that I’ve had. This team is pretty athletic, and I’ve got a bench that I feel like I can go to in the middle innings and not really drop off much. They’re a tight group and team chemistry is strong.

“We kind of started this group as freshmen and they were young. We made some mistakes that young players make, and I’ve seen their maturity and strength already this season. We’ve had some practices outside and you can see the strength in the juniors and seniors. The maturity level of our team has me excited for this year and going forward.”

First game: Tuesday, at Warren County, 6 p.m.

Sherando

Coach: Clarence Smith, 6th year

Last year: 11-9, 5-2 Northwestern

Key losses: Lexi Schlag (first team all-conference), Madison Clark, Niki Marshall (second team all-conference), Dani Edmonds (first team all-conference).

Top returnees: Marissa Webb, Sr. OF/P (second team all-conference); Korenn Paige, Jr. 1B (second team all-conference); Tori Seymour, Jr. 3B; Brooke Moses, Soph. CF (11 runs); Ashton Clark, Soph. 2B; River Baird, Soph. P (second team all-conference); Emily Walker, Sr. OF; Sarah Marshall, Jr. C (second team all-conference); Brooke Greene, Soph. C/OF.

Key newcomers: Blake Conner, Fr. OF; Lauren Smith, Fr. UT/P; Sierra Strosnider, Fr. SS.

Smith’s outlook: “We’re pretty dynamic with a lot of flexibility on the team. They can do a lot of things. Our pitchers are coming along nicely, and I’m pretty excited about it.

“The weather has been fantastic and we’ve been outside a lot. There’s a lot of competition and they’re pushing each other in a good way. They get along with each other and feel they have something to prove.”

First game: Monday, vs. Broadway, 6 p.m.

Clarke County

Coach: Susan Grubbs, 29th year

Last year: 10-10, 8-5 Bull Run District

Key losses: Mercedes Banks, Kendall Benoit, Morgan Withers and Tifani Adams.

Top returnees: Jade Feltner, Jr. P/1B; Megan Hicks, Jr. P/1B; Chelsea Trenary, Jr. C; Sheilia Nappi, Sr. 3B; Whitney Mitchell, Jr. OF/IF; Haley Haun, Sr. 1B; Dani Bloomingdale, Sr. OF.

Key newcomers: Hannah Trenary, Fr. UT; Whitney Grubbs, Fr. P/1B/OF LHP; Dana Ramey Fr. UT; Kiley Ramey, Fr. UT.

Grubbs’ outlook: “We have a lot of players who can play different positions. It’s just trying to figure out the best [spots]. We have great team chemistry and the girls are working hard. The older girls are great about helping the younger girls learn. It’s a good group of girls to work with.

“We definitely want to be in the top two in [Conference 35] so we get to go to regionals. That’s almost an annual goal. We’ve got some potential back. It may take some growing pains, but I think we’ll solidify into a very good team.”

First game: Tuesday, at Luray, 5 p.m.

Handley

Coach: David Stokes, 4th year

Last year: 3-15, 2-6 Northwestern

Key losses: Lizzy Beaudoin (second team all-conference) and Gabby Mammano (second team all-conference).

Top returnees: Linsey Martin, Jr. 1B/P (9 RBIs, 13 runs); Robin Blowers, Sr. P/2B (14 runs); Meghan Stokes, Soph. P/IF (first team all-conference); Amelia Strawderman, Jr. C; Harris, Soph. 3B; Sarah Elson, Jr. IF.

Key newcomers: Zikara Lively, Fr. OF/IF.

Stokes’ outlook: “It’s a young team, but I think we’re going to be a little more sound defensively this year. We’re going to stay focused on putting the ball in play. As a team, this is going to be my fourth year and our batting average has increased as a team each year. We’re going to continue to focus on hitting. It’s a talented team and definitely something to build on for sure.”

First game: Tuesday, at Riverside, 6 p.m.

Millbrook

Coach: Mandee Madden, 5th year

Last year: 0-19, 0-7 Northwestern

Key losses: Harleigh Crowl and Logan Priest.

Top returnees: Katie Tirona, Jr. IF (.441, eight RBIs, second team all-conference); Shannon Smith, Jr. IF/OF; Eliza Grigsby, Jr. IF; Rylee Warchola, Jr. OF/C; Danielle Vanderhoff, Soph. IF/P; Holley Smith, Soph. OF; Aubrey McLarn, Jr. UT.

Key newcomers: Sophie Pell, Fr. C/IF; Ivy Rosenberry, Fr. OF/P; Emma Badnek, Fr. IF; Daeshanelle Thomas, Jr. IF; Cara George, Jr. OF.

Madden’s outlook: “We’re still very young with no seniors but we have a really strong work ethic. A lot will be expected of our junior leaders — Shannon and Katie — are kind of like my seniors. We’re young but we’re varsity-experienced if that makes sense.

“We have kids who can play a lot of different positions so that gives us a lot of options. We hope to make small strides and we’re setting expectations a little at a time.”

First game: Tuesday, at Spotswood, 5:30 p.m.

— Contact Robert Stocks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Follow on Twitter @WinStarSports1