PATASKALA ― Alli Langwasser started as a freshman on the third of Watkins Memorial’s four consecutive state tournament teams, and she and four other seniors have made sure the Warriors have maintained a high level of success.
Playing their final home game May 18, they have the eighth-seeded Warriors on the brink of a sixth straight Division I district championship after beating No. 25 Westerville South 17-1 in five innings in a district semifinal. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“I tore my ACL in March of last year but still played on it the entire time and didn’t have surgery until we lost in the regional semifinals,” Langwasser said. “My sophomore year, I got hit by a pitch on the arm in the district finals and had to miss the state. So then I missed the summer and fall.”
She has persevered and become a leader on a 21-7 team that plays 12th-seeded Dublin Coffman (16-11), a 9-7 winner against Pickerington Central, for a district title at 5 p.m. May 21 at London High School. Her classmates have gradually worked their way into becoming vital pieces, as over the years coach Mike Jellison has inserted players as pinch runners and pinch hitters, making sure they get a taste of varsity action so that they’re ready when called upon.
“Marissa Weber mostly pinch ran her first two years, then rotated in and out last year, and now she’s a full-time starter,” Langwasser said. “Sierra (Fuchs) did not start last year, but she’s come in her senior year and made an impact.”
Weber, who played second base and shortstop against Westerville South, ripped an RBI single. Fuchs slammed a two-run homer off the scoreboard, while another senior, Paisley Conley, delivered a two-run single and had two hits. Outfielder Gracie Burchett is the other senior.
“It’s been a lot of time put in here,” Weber said. “I’m down here most every day, hitting and taking groundballs.”
Said Jellison: “We have 16 to 20 kids, and it’s an adjustment because a lot of girls are getting their first varsity action. We try to keep the team involved, every game. It’s not replacing kids. When it’s their turn to play, they understand what to do, and we keep them ready.”
The Warriors also have a pair of successful JV teams.
Two of the top varsity hitters are freshmen, catcher Ava Bailey and shortstop Emma Jellison.
Against South, Langwasser got the scoring started in the first when she singled home junior Bryna Davis, who led off with a double. Bailey then smacked a two-run homer to left center, and Fuchs followed with her two-run blast with Jellison aboard for a quick 5-0 lead.
Ten straight batters reached during an 11-run third inning. Bailey slammed her second two-run shot after junior Gracie Gerhardt doubled. Conley had her two-run single, Weber her RBI hit, then junior Marlee Gerhardt came off the bench to line a two-run homer over the center field fence. Coach Jellison then used seven consecutive pinch hitters to give them playing time, with freshman Eliana Brazen contributing an RBI double.
In her next at-bat, Marlee Gerhardt singled to right and when the ball got through the outfielder’s legs she went all the way around to score.
Sophomore Hannah Chapman doubled and singled for Watkins. Sophomores Cori Groothuis and Lily Parker, along with junior Morgan Gerhardt, teamed for a five-hitter in the circle.
Langwasser is doing her part to make sure the excellence continues.
“To see the underclassmen come in hitting the way they are, I’m really proud,” she said. “I was very fortunate to have great leadership from Jordyn Wycuff (now at Ohio University). I looked at her like an older sister. In the dugout I try to turn negatives into a positive. If someone is upset about hitting a ground ball, I tell them it’s usually better than a fly ball.”
Still recovering from knee surgery, Langwasser started the season in a 1 for 22 slump batting in the No. 8 hole. Coach Jellison moved her up into the second slot, and she’s taken off ever since, much like the hard-hitting team.
Graduating All-Ohio pitcher Carsyn Cassady, now at Michigan State, after the four-year state run that included two runner-up finishes, the Warriors have had to compensate with their hitting.
“We know we have to score, and we know how to hit,” coach Jellison said. “They’ve gotten to know their roles. We played Gahanna, who had like .600 hitters in the top three spots. We don’t have anyone like that, but we do have like 10 kids who are around .400. Our 4 through 10 or 4 through 11 hitters are probably better than anyone’s.”
Watkins has exceeded expectations the past two seasons and has now won five in a row and eight of its past nine. Nine different players have hit a home run.
“After 2024, no one really expected anything and we won another district,” Langwasser said. “After last year, we graduated a lot of seniors and we were supposed to be down again.”
Added Weber: “What are we? 21-7? I don’t think anyone expected us to have a winning record. We just had two great wins, over Gahanna and Delaware, and it just shows that we can beat those kind of teams. I think we’re better than last year.”
The Warriors lost in the regional semifinals to state runner-up Mount Vernon last season.
“Getting to Akron those two times was like fulfilling a dream for me,” Langwasser said. “I would love to make a return trip back there and see what we can do.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Watkins Memorial softball seniors provide bridge to more success
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
