Opening day 2019 arrives with a wave of optimism in the Dublin Scioto Irish softball team.
Brooke Ott takes over head coaching duties this year after long time coach Larry Howell stepped down over the summer.
Ott served as pitching coach for the Irish for the last 4 years and has also been JV Head Coach for several years. A pitcher herself, guiding her Clyde, Ohio high school team to the state championship game, and being a primary driving force on her Capital University team, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the varsity dugout. She has already made some major changes in the organization, and I well on her way to putting her own stamp on the organization. She has retained the rest of the coaching staff in Jim Stamets, who remains as ssistant Coach on the varsity field, and Jim Amato, who will take over as JV Head Coach.
Brooke Hokes will round out the coaching staff as assistant on the JV field. She was a couple of years behind Coach Ott at Capital.
“I really want to stress that this is a new program with new priorities and new expectations of all the players from top to bottom!” said coach Ott. “Not to say that what we had been doing was all wrong, and everything that I’m doing is totally right; it’s just different.” She continued, “We’re trying to impress on the girls that this is our year to make an impact, and a statement about what Scioto Softball really is. We want to change the way our program has been viewed and the impression other teams may have of us!” Ott stated, “We are looking at and honoring the past, and at the same time working hard to move things in a positive direction and leave our own legacy for future players. We’ve spent a lot of time in the off-season working on fundamentals and preaching respect, team and family values.”
Despite a couple of consecutive years of improvement in 2016 & 2017 and moving to the upper half of the OCC Cardinal division, 2018 saw a set back as the team struggled down the stretch, losing 6 of 7 games to finish 4 games under .500 and sliding back down to the bottom half of the division. The older girls got a taste of winning the previous couple of years, so the end of last year’s season was a bitter pill to swallow. The upperclassmen have had a long 9 months to think about that and they are ready to change back to winning ways. Underachieving is a habit they really want to break, and the work in the gym and on the field have shown the team really is focused on winning.
With another influx of players from the middle school, this year’s roster will be filled with underclassmen again, with a solid base of experienced players in key positions. Co-captain junior Makayla Jauregui is a mainstay in the outfield and will lead a group of juniors, Lucia Adams, Gretchen Baker and Maddy Baughman who will platoon in the corner outfield positions. “Offensively, she is aggressive on the base paths and has been working on driving the ball from gap-to-gap this year, and defensively she has really made a smooth transition to the outfield, and has an absolute cannon for an arm, so our expectations are high for Makayla,” said Coach Ott. Sophomore Lacey Henry is expected to see some time as well.
Senior co-captain Emily Dinan, has a vast resume of utility capabilities. She will primarily hold down second and third base assignment, but had been no stranger to first base and has spent a great deal of time behind him plate as well. Per Ott, “Emily’s versatility is such an asset. You can plug her into virtually any position on the field based on our needs for that day, and we don’t really lose any defensive quality.”
Junior Lauren Erickson is will be the chief of the infield playing shortstop. “She too is versatile, and very well may see some time in the outfield, and even saw some time on the mound in the most recent scrimmage.” She returns last year’s strongest offensive numbers leading the team in batting average, runs scored, RBI’s and extra base hits, and will drive the offensive bus. Coach Ott mused, “Our offense is only as good as the top half of the lineup, and Lauren is right smack in the middle of that top half.”
Senior Haley Gibson will be the primary work horse on the mound this year. The off-season has been big for her, since last year she was transfer ineligible for the majority of the season; she is miles ahead of where she was at this time last year. When not pitching, she too can fill in both in the infield and outfield. Sarah Booth will once again split time between third base and the pitcher’s mound. Her work load on the mound will be lessened by Gibby’s presence, allowing Sarah to concentrate more on her real strength, driving in runs at the plate! Completing the infield picture, sophomore Bel Crawford is earning her way into a regular position at first base, possibly splitting time with Adams depending on whose bat is hotter at any one time.
Coach Ott is anxious to see how some of the freshmen will perform on the varsity field. Caroline Piatt and Erin Bush both bring a lot of talent to the catcher position. They are both very capable and will tag team behind the dish. It’s going to be rough getting them enough playing time; they may have to go up and down to JV to get reps, rather than sitting on the varsity bench. It’s a good problem to have.
Another freshman, Madi Comstock, is battling her way into the infield. Her bat has been hot and coach Ott is always saying, “If you’re hitting, we will find a place on the field for you!” Junior Lauren Perry, sophomore Alexis Hoover, and freshman Ryleah Masterson will all spend some time on both varsity and JV, depending upon the injury picture and/or competitive situation on any given day.
Ott said regarding her squad, “We’ve got freshman who are competing for starting spots on varsity right now and we’ve got some freshman who are nowhere near ready. It’s a nice mix of girls who can contribute right away and some girls that need some work but will definitely contribute in the future.” With the larger number of younger players in the organization, not only is the future is bright for the Irish, nut expectations are high for this year.
In a pleasant change from previous years, the varsity team will open up the season with a full roster, and no substantial injuries. The JV program is a different story. Just a few minor bumps and bruises, but nothing major. The roster is fuller than normal anticipating some injury situations and that way neither team is strapped and not able to field a full team.
After Coach Ott’s first long fall and winter in the gym, “…it’s been nice to get outside as much as we have this year,” she stated. “In previous years we weren’t able to really get a solid look at some players, prior to the first scrimmage. The fact that we were able to have handful of practices outside allowed the outfields to see fly balls and the infielders to get some live situational experience.” As usual everyone is tired of beating up on each other and is anxious to line-up against another team in the batter’s box. The team had two solid performances in scrimmages against DeSales and Pick North. “We saw a lot of things we liked, and a lot of things that we really still need to work on.”
The Irish start out the season with a week-long home stand, hosting Centennial on Monday, Westerville South on Thursday and a tri-match with Big Walnut and Upper Arlington on Saturday. This should be a great test and will really give the Irish a solid look at their starting line-ups and allow them to see where they stack up against their competition.
