Jayden Peters has it easy every time she steps into the batter’s box for the Collins-Maxwell softball team.
Peters bats third in the lineup for a Spartan team that improved to 9-4 overall following a 16-1 victory over Janesville on June 17. Collins-Maxwell was averaging over eight runs per game going into the Janesville contest, and Peters was leading the team with 16 RBIs.
She is a good contact and power hitter. But it does not take much for her to drive in runs with veteran slap hitters Cypress Erickson and Haylee Merryman hitting in front of her.
“These two set the tone for sure,” Peters said. “I love that.”
Collins-Maxwell has had phenomenal slap hitters at the top of the order for nearly a decade. Alexis Houge, a five-time Class 1A first-team all-state selection and a DePaul softball alum, helped Collins-Maxwell reach the state championship game three times and win two state titles between 2018 and 2022. Avery Kahler (formerly Avery Fricke) was with her every step of the way as the No. 2 hitter in the lineup.
Erickson and Merryman joined the Spartan varsity lineup as eighth-graders during Houge and Kahler’s final season. Houge took them under her wing.
“I started slapping, I want to say, when I was in sixth grade, maybe seventh grade,” Erickson said. “She (Houge), pretty much from Day 1, has been my coach. Every situation I know I can handle is because of her. Still, with this year her being so busy graduating college, she still takes the time when I have questions to help me out.”
Merryman was mainly used as a pinch runner on offense during her eighth-grade year, but she settled into the No. 2 spot behind Erickson for their freshman year. The duo both hit .300 or better, with Erickson posting a .341 average and Merryman hitting right at .300.
As sophomores, Erickson hit .300 and Merryman hit .318. Last year, they took it to a whole new level.
Erickson hit a phenomenal .474 with 37 runs and 36 steals as a junior. Merryman also topped the .400 mark, posting a .406 average with 30 runs and 28 steals.
They have not slowed down as seniors.
Erickson went into the Janesville game among the top hitters in 1A with a .541 average. She had scored 19 runs and stolen 18 bases. Merryman has also raised the bar, hitting .444 with 13 runs and 13 steals.
Those numbers got even better following the Janesville game.
Erickson was 2-for-2 with a walk, three steals and three runs. Merryman reached base all three times she was up as well, after getting hit by a pitch, reaching on an error and hitting a three-run double.
“It’s such a weapon to have those two at the top being able to create havoc and get on base,” said Collins-Maxwell coach Troy Houge. “We haven’t really skipped a beat. They do such a great job.”
Erickson is the one who gets everything going.
Her job, first and foremost, is to get on base. Then she uses her speed to get in scoring position.
Because of her skill and speed, she has become a nightmare for every opposing pitcher. One thing makes her smile more than anything else when she is at the plate.
“Getting in defense’s heads,” Erickson said. “A lot of defenses are very nervous to handle a slapper. I think that’s pretty fun just knowing the weapons you go up there with.”
Because of Erickson’s ability to steal bases, Merryman often has to take one strike before Coach Houge lets her swing the bat.
“She’s got the hard job,” Troy Houge said. “If Cypress gets on, she’s going to steal most of the time, so Hailey has to watch a strike go by most of the time. She’s got one against her. Hailey doesn’t get fazed. She just comes up and gets ready on the next pitch.”
Merryman likes having Erickson in front of her.
“She kind of takes the pressure off of me,” Merryman said. “The defense sometimes worries about her more than they are about me, so I kind of go up there relaxed, ready to hit her in, hopefully, and that’s what my goal is every time.”
The two do a great job setting the table for the rest of the lineup.
“It’s amazing,” Peters said. “I love when they get on base because it gives me something to hit for.”
Thanks in large part to the two slap hitters at the top of the order, Collins-Maxwell has proven it can hang with the top teams in 1A.
The Spartans pushed No. 7 Newall-Fonda to the limit on June 12 before falling by a 4-2 score. Three days later, they gave No. 1 Clarksville a scare before suffering a 10-7 setback.
With Erickson and Merryman doing their thing at the top of the order, the Spartans will be a threat to score on any team they face. They will get more chances to find out what they are made of on June 20 when they take part in an event in Oskaloosa, which features 4A No. 1 Carlisle, 4A No. 12 Norwalk, 3A No. 5 Van Meter, 3A No. 6 West Liberty, 2A No. 13 Iowa City Regina and 1A No. 10 Wayne.
“We’re definitely underdogs,” Erickson said. “But I think that’s what makes it fun. We’re underestimated a lot, and I feel like we are really good at proving people wrong.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Cypress Erickson, Haylee Merryman are elite slap hitters for Collins-Maxwell
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
