SHELBY — By the time Sundays roll around, any normal athlete would be dog tired if they did what Shelby juniors Braylee Sturts and Karlie Walp did on a weekly basis.
But Sturts and Walp are anything but normal. They don’t get dog tired; they get Whippet strong.
Sturts and Walp are rare two-sport athletes in the spring season. They double as hit-collecting softball players and event-winning track stars during the Spring high school sports season. They do everything they can to spend equal time practicing and competing in both to the point that one can get dizzy trying to keep up with their schedules.
“They are really special,” Shelby softball coach Samantha Martin said. “They have a competitive nature and a desire to be the best they can be that is unmatched. You would think they would eventually burn out, but there are no signs of that. They love it. It is refreshing to see kids do more than just what they do at practice time.”
Sturts is a softball-mashing shortstop for the Whippets and a shot put and discus thrower in track. She is currently hitting .538 with 35 hits, five doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 46 RBIs and 31 runs scored in softball. In track, she won the girls shot put competition at the 2026 Ontario Relays with a throw of 34-08.75 and won the girls discus competition at the 94th Mehock Relays with a throw of 123-02 in the same week.
“It is a lot, but with track being more of a laid-back kind of sport, especially with me throwing, it is kind of easier,” Sturts said. “It is a lot, but it makes it easy with people who support you.”
Shelby’s shot and discus arena is an open facility not behind locked gates. So, when Sturts feels like she needs some extra work, she can go there whenever she feels like it. She finds herself in the ring on weekends and even before and after softball practices and games. She is always working on her throwing technique while also lifting to get stronger.
On softball game days, she sometimes joins in on early track practices for 45 minutes to an hour before heading over to the softball diamond. Sundays are saved for extra throwing practice and a two-hour long hitting session at a friend’s indoor batting cage.
No naps needed.
“You only live once, so why sleep it away?” Sturts said. “Doing good in softball and track just pushes me more because God has given me this talent to use, so why not use it?”
And she uses it well. As does Walp.
A speedy slapper in softball, Walp is hitting .438 with 32 hits, a double, 13 RBIs and 29 runs scored and is widely considered among the best defensive outfielders in Richland County. In track, she is a hurdle and spring specialist who had been instrumental on a standout 4×100-meter relay team that already has wins at the Triway High School Track and Field Invitational, the Ontario Relays and the 94th Mehock Relays. She won the 100-meter hurdles at Ontario and is a defending Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and district champion in the event.
“It is a lot of work and takes a ton of time and dedication and understanding from the people around you, but that all makes it worth it,” Walp said. “Coach Martin’s very flexible and Coach (Patience) Lewis is very flexible, so it’s great to have that kind of support. My parents set up extra practice times and Braylee is always with me and it is awesome to have all of those people around me.”
Walp is 100% dedicated to both sports. As a College Credit Plus student at Shelby, Walp’s final class wraps up around noon. So, before she heads off to take college classes, she has plenty of time to go directly to the track, roll out a few hurdles and get some work in before going to the weight room for a quick lift. Then, she heads to softball practice or a game once she finishes up her school work.
“I don’t do it every day, but I can get that stuff done before softball practice or a game,” Walp said. “When I have a track meet, I can go hit on my own and take reps in the field.”
The extra time she can put in on hurdles is imperative to her success. Hurdles are one of the hardest events in all of track and field and ones that take the most amount of detailed practice time.
“It is a tough event because I have struggled to get my three-step rhythm,” Walp said. “I finally got it at the Triway Invite which was really awesome. I am looking for a big PR whenever I get to run again.”
After a long week, Walp does take some time to recoup.
“I do crash, 100%,” Walp said. “But, it is also reset day because I have to get ready to do it all again on Monday. Back to work.”
Martin sees the amount of work Walp and Sturts put into each sport and sees their dedication and work ethic as one of the most impressive things she has seen in high school athletes in a very long time.
“It really is,” Martin said. “They are my first two to do both and I just sit back and am amazed that they have the time to do both and be stellar in both sports. Sometimes, they have to miss practice and you think it is going to hurt them, but then you see them putting in work on their own and that is when you realize they are as good as they are. I have never seen that level of dedication.”
Softball comes first for Sturts and Walp when there is a scheduling conflict. When they decided to be dual spring sport athletes, Walp and Sturts had to declare a primary sport for when scheduling conflicts arise. If there is a softball game on the same day as a track meet or practice, softball will take priority. If there is a track meet on a light softball day, they can go to track.
It saves the athletes and coaches from running into any issues.
“Our track coach is great because he is laid back and isn’t pushy when it comes to my time,” Sturts said. “He says when he can have me, great, but if he can’t he knows I’m not just sitting at home. And same goes for Coach Martin. She knows if I miss a practice, I am at a track meet.”
Walp sees the same understanding from both coaches. Only she struggles because she wants to be the absolute best at both sports and win as many track events as she possibly can especially after a stellar run in last year’s postseason where she narrowly missed out on a state qualifying spot in the hurdles.
“I can’t be upset when I can’t go to track because I declared softball as my main because I have been playing since I was little,” Walp said. “It is pretty awesome to win track events and league championships, but I have to focus on this year and keep moving forward.”
As it stands, there is a potential schedule conflict of epic proportions. The Whippets could have a softball tournament game the same day as the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field championships. With Spring weather in Ohio, that could change, but if everything holds, Walp and Sturts would be unable to compete in the MOAC track meet. Sturts could make it to one of the two throwing events she competes in depending on how everything goes as the two events are held on separate days, but Walp would miss the prelim races making her unable to run in the finals.
Martin is happy her two best hitters declared softball as their primary, but feels terrible they won’t get to compete for league titles in track.
“Absolutely,” Martin said. “It is unfortunate because I want to see them compete and win in track, but they are very important to our success as a softball team. I’m happy they will be with me, but they deserve to enjoy success in a sport they put a lot of time into.”
They put a lot of time and love in softball, too, so not all will be lost. Recently, all that work came to fruition in a 14-3 MOAC win over Clear Fork on April 21. In the first inning, Walp singled on a bunt giving her 100 hits for her career. Two batters later, Sturts smashed a liner to right for her 100th career hit.
“It is pretty awesome,” Walp said. “It was even more special to share it with Braylee on back-to-back hits. We have been best friends for so long and it is amazing to share that moment with her.”
What is even more amazing is they haven’t even finished their junior seasons yet.
“That is pretty crazy,” Struts said. “It is amazing to get 100 hits midseason junior year. So much work has gone into getting here and it has all been worth it.”
So much work and so little sleep.
jfurr@usatodayco.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Shelby’s 100 career hitters double as track stars during busy spring
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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