Playoff ready: Dragon softball set to battle Grove City
Look around the diamond at the Warren softball team at any point this season and you will have seen plenty of youth – two freshmen and five sophomores to be exact.
There are also two seniors, Maddie Loutzenhiser and Megan Wortman, who have been cornerstones of the team for the past four years.
Now, as those two embark on their last playoff run, they along with their younger teammates will attempt to capture a District 10 championship – something Wortman and Loutzenhiser were a part of as freshmen and sophomores.
That journey begins today as they travel to Hickory High School to play Grove City at 4 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Slippery Rock, but field conditions prompted the switch in venues.
The Dragons (13-6) are a team that, no matter where they are playing, will take the field with confidence.
“I think we’ll have pretty much the same approach, maybe a little more intense knowing that if you do lose it’s your last game,” Loutzenhiser said. “But it’s just like any other game.”
They will go into the game with a potent offense, led by Wortman’s .500 batting average. Gracie Wood is second on the team at .415, while Kiersten Hoffman checks in at .400 with a team-leading four home runs to go along with 22 RBIs. Pitcher Ellie Lobdell leads the team with 24 RBIs. The bottom of the lineup has been just as productive, with Julia Lobdell and Celia Chase posting averages of .365 and .339 respectively and freshman Grace Wortman, Megan’s younger sister, with 15 RBIs. Freshman leadoff hitter and shortstop Alexis Nyquist is hitting .369 and Loutzenhiser has overcome a lingering wrist injury from basketball season and has really hit her stride as well.
The seniors have complete confidence in those underclassmen and vice versa.
“We’ve been watching them play for a long time and we know how talented they are,” Wortman said.
They will be playing a Grove City (11-7) team that is led by sophomore Camryn Billing, who is hitting .491 with 17 RBIs and a District 10-leading six home runs. Lauren Wentz is hitting .444 for the Golden Eagles, Jordyn Anderson .400 and Kelly McClearn .379 with three homers and 15 RBIs.
The two teams are actually very similar in the makeup of their respective rosters, with GC having just two senior starters as well, Wentz and Jordan Malczak.
For Warren’s senior duo, softball has been second nature to them, playing together since they were young.
“We’ve just known each other for so long and we’re such good friends,” Wortman said of her teammate whom she has been playing with since Little League. “She’s (Maddie) such a hard worker and we’ve been able to play the sport that we love together.”
On the mound, Grove City’s Chloe Saylor has pitched 69 1/3 innings, but she is likely out due to injury, which means that Bailee Malz, who has a 5.53 ERA, will most likely get the call.
Ellie Lobdell has been very good pitching for Warren this season, posting a 2.22 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 116 2/3 innings pitched.
And while Lobdell, along with many of her teammates, will be facing the playoffs for just the first or second time, they can count on Wortman, among others, to keep them loose.
“When things get kind of tense, she’s always the one to make people laugh,” Loutzenhiser said of her classmate.
And listening to the coaching staff, that may run in the family. This year has been extra special for them, as Megan and Grace have been able to share the diamond together.
“It’s been so much fun,” Megan said of playing with her younger sister. “We’re really close and we’ve never played on a softball team together before. It’s been exciting to play my last year with her.”
That family atmosphere is evident among the whole team when you see them with one another.
“You get so close because we all hang out with each other and are with each other every day,” Loutzenhiser said. “You really get to know each other. I’ll miss that.”
But they are far from done. The business at hand is Grove City and hopefully plenty of games beyond that. It’s a program that is used to winning and they are going out with the goal of winning another District 10 championship.
“I think it’s definitely possible and I think that’s what everyone’s goal is,” Loutzenhiser said. “We’re all working really hard towards that. We just have to play our game the way we know how to play.”
COMMENTS