LAKELAND — McKeel is in position to have a big softball season. As the No. 1 seed in Class 3A, Region 3, the Wildcats are poised to make their strongest run since a regional finals loss in 2021 and return to the state tournament for the first time since 2009.
At the center of it when McKeel (15-5) returns to action against Englewood Lemon Bay at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in regional semifinals is junior pitcher Chloe Lanier. Except for a bit of control issues, Lanier had no problems shutting down Tenoroc in the regional quarterfinals last week, but the road will get tougher as McKeel gets deeper and deeper into the postseason.
“Listen, Chloe’s been huge for us,” McKeel coach Jimmy Applewite said after the 15-0 victory over Tenoroc. “Chloe was a little off in the first. I told her it’s the first time we’ve had three walks in three innings in a while, but she’s huge. She’s been solid all year long with runs and hits and pitches, so I’m not worried.”
As a pitcher, Lanier has posted a 2.10 ERA in 83 1/3 innings with 115 strikeouts. Her ERA is more than a run lower than her freshman season when she posted a 3.39 ERA in 95 innings and up just slightly over last year’s 1.95 when she pitched just 43 innings. She’s averaging more than a strikeout an inning for the first time in her career and her walk rate is lower than the previous two seasons.
“From last year to this year, she’s staying much looser in, in the circle,” Applewhite said. “She’s commanding. I have two terms, two terms. You can either control or you can command and 99 percent of the time she’s commanding what she’s doing. That’s the biggest thing, command versus control from last year to this year, and she’s picked up a few miles an hour. She’s not scared to throw a changeup in situations. That was something we struggled with a little bit last year, and she’s locked that down. The off-speed has been great on top of everything else. The off-speed and being able to throw that consistently and throw it for a strike.”
Lanier was a first-team, all-county selection last season when she hit .446. She is ready for her role in the postseason as a pitcher.
“I definitely feel confident and I know that days with my dad and pitching with my dad has helped, making sure that my pitches feel good and bullpens before the game, making sure everything’s just working,” she said. “I just feel confident.”
Lanier said she began putting in a lot of work to prepare for this season last summer.
“I did extra workouts just to like push myself for this year and just do better this year,” she said.
Although her average is down from last season, Lanier remains an important bat in the lineup. She leads McKeel with 22 hits and is tied for the team lead in runs scored with 24. Her very strong .361 batting average ranks third on the team but her 75 plate appearances are 20 more than leading hitter Madyson Marion (.404) and nearly twice as RBI-leader Mikayla Jackson, who is batting .378. She also is second to Marion in on-base percentage — a big stat for Applewhite.
Overall, Lanier is happy about her season but isn’t satisfied.
“I feel like my pitching, I’m definitely doing what I was hoping for and I’m doing better,” she said. “But hitting, I feel like I could do a lot better. I feel like I’m just going to work harder these and show that in the postseason.”
As the No. 1 seed, the Wildcats will host on Tuesday and in the regional finals if they continue to win. Gaining the top seed in the region has energized the team, especially Lanier.
“It made me feel way better knowing that our team has the ability to do that and knowing that we’re No. 1, we’re hosting and we don’t have to take any bus rides,” she said. “Everyone has to come to us and play on our field. We’re top everything, right now, and it just gives me more confidence, with our team.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Chloe Lanier making her pitch to lead McKeel softball playoff run
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
