Countless talented high school softball teams blanket the Springfield area this season.
Chatham Glenwood and Rochester continue to loom large in the Central State Eight Conference, while smaller programs such as Pawnee and Buffalo Tri-City/Sangamon Valley battle for MSM supremacy.
But here are perhaps a few other pleasant surprises around Springfield through Wednesday, April 29 games:
Sacred Heart-Griffin (16-3)
Kenzie Wieland’s pitching origins can be traced to a college softball game on TV.
“I was like, ‘You know what, pitching looks fun. I think I want to do that,’” Wieland said.
The junior righty has more than excelled at it. She has been a stalwart both ways for the Cyclones ever since her arrival, including a second straight nod on The State Journal-Register’s all-area team last season.
Wieland indeed continues to lead the CS8 this spring with a sterling 0.76 ERA and 135 strikeouts.
She is also a .460 hitter with four home runs. Her swagger only keeps growing, not just with more experience, but also with a different buzz around the program with a new coach, new jerseys, and a renovated field.
“I’ve known these girls for a really long time,” Wieland said. “I’ve known some of them longer than others, but we’re very energetic. We all love each other so much. We just fit really well together.”
In an April 14 game against Springfield High, Wieland belted three home runs and 10 RBIs.
“She’s obviously a huge impact, and she continues to grow over the years,” SHG coach Scott Stotlar said. “Some players will come in and be happy with what they did freshman and sophomore year, then kind of not continue to work hard.
“She has worked hard and has been showing that she’s getting better every year. She’s growing even throughout the season.”
Williamsville (18-5)
Junior shortstop Reese Larson knew the incoming freshman class brimmed with potential.
It was just a matter of making them feel comfortable.
This band of newcomers has indeed provided an extra jolt after the Bullets reached the Class 2A sectional finals last year.
Freshmen Olivia Heigert and Hannah Louis have starred both ways.
Heigert (.491), Louis (.444), and fellow freshman Mia Gallaher (.337) complement the batting order after winning the Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A state title as eighth graders.
Louis bristles with a team-best nine home runs, while Heigert and Gallaher each have at least three jacks.
On the other end, Heigert (11-3, 1.51 ERA) and Louis (6-2, 1.00 ERA) recently combined for 14 strikeouts in a 7-1 win over Athens on Tuesday, April 28.
“Me and Hannah are like best friends,” Heigert said. “We work very well together. We kind of contrast each other because she mostly stays low in the zone, and I mostly stay high.”
They have done an unbelievable job in the circle, Williamsville coach Steve Dennis said.
“We knew they were good,” Dennis said. “I think Liv has come in a little bit of a surprise and flew under the radar. She didn’t pitch in junior high much, but she’s been lights out since we started the season. To have both of them and they throw the ball differently is pretty unique, so we can win two different ways in the circle.”
Beardstown (15-1)
The Tigers largely practiced indoors for the first four weeks of the season. All that preparation translated to early success and more confidence.
“I feel like we got in there and we practiced our defense and got in the cage a lot,” senior catcher Kylynn Maltby said. “We did a lot of drills and just things to kind of get us ready before we could get outside.”
Maltby and sophomore ace Khloe Kearns anchor the battery, where they call the pitches. Maltby considers it an advantage because it encourages a quicker pace.
“I think we did it for a little bit last year and then this year they kind of just gave us the full go-ahead,” Maltby said. “It’s just a lot of trust and communication between the two of us. I think it works in our favor most of the time.”
Kearns (15-1, 1.60 ERA) has not only dialed up 182 strikeouts but is also a .472 hitter with six home runs. Maltby is a team-best .490 hitter with seven homers.
Beardstown also presents seniors Hallie Lawson, Lauren Coats, and Autumn Bowman in the outfield, while the rest of the lineup consists of sophomores or freshmen. But Maltby said everyone takes cues from each other.
Maltby, who is undecided, said this season she has learned to adjust to opposing pitchers mid-game.
“I think that I’m doing a little bit better with the corrections this year compared to last year and just making sure that I’m applying them and seeing the ball,” Maltby said.
Beardstown coach Kaitlyn Dodson has enjoyed watching Maltby’s growth.
“She just sees it,” Dodson said. “I asked her, ‘What are you thinking about when you’re up to bat?’ She usually tells me, ‘Nothing, I just want to hit the ball,’ and that’s it. She has been such a great leader for these girls and has really come through for us.”
Athens (14-7)
The Warriors are off to their best season since finishing 19-5 in 2001.
The junior class packs a heavy wallop. In fact, catcher Jaci Derringer (.594), shortstop Preslie Buckmaster (.556) and center fielder AJ Crispen (.509) rank among the most prolific hitters in the Sangamo Conference.
“God really put it in my heart to work hard at everything that I do,” Crispen said. “I am very faith-based, and God has driven me as far as I am right now.”
Crispen said she tries to instill that same mentality in her teammates “because they’ve worked so hard for what they do.”
“They should all be prepared to go into the next game with the mindset, ‘Yeah, I’m going to win,’” she said.
Buckmaster carved out a .478 average with 33 hits and seven home runs last season. Her power numbers may be down this spring, but that stems from a different approach more geared toward contact and getting on base. This new emphasis has generated 35 hits and a whopping 10 triples already.
“I enjoy it,” Buckmaster said, “just driving it the other way and being able to use my speed to get to third.”
Senior MacKenzie Ratliff helps round out the small but balanced lineup with her crafty off-speed pitching. Kenzie Szoke and Isabel Ingram are the only other seniors on the roster.
“I think we’ve pushed a lot more this year and we try to work even harder to not have as many errors and also perfecting our hitting,” Ratliff said. “We’ve gotten a lot better at it this year and have backed up our pitchers very well. I trust them a lot, knowing that they’re behind me.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Here are the 4 most surprising softball teams in the Springfield area
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
