Season Wrap-Up: 14-9 Overall Record

 

JV Softball is unpredictable, to say the least. I've had teams I thought were going to be world beaters who underperformed those expectations (although not necessarily their abilities), others that I didn't expect much from who were better than expected, and others that I had no idea what to expect.  So I no longer make predictions.

Which doesn't mean that the coaching staff doesn't set expectations. It's just that those expectations are not tied to any particular number of wins and losses, because those tend to sell our girls short and either over or underestimate our opponents.

Because of that, our goals are fairly consistent from year to year:
     1 -  There should be a noticeable improvement in each girl's individual skill level as we compare the first practice in August to the last game in October.
     2 -  There should be an obvious growth in team culture, and, although that may look different from year to year, a team bond and commitment to teammates must be part of that culture.
     3 -  Our JV Statesmen should maintain a high level of sportsmanship and competitiveness that reflects positively on the school and the district. We want to be a respected and sought after opponent.
     4 -  We should produce at least 5 varsity-ready players that Coach Gibson can think about as part of the mix for the next season.
     5 -  Every player should be able to look back on the season as a worthwhile and enjoyable investment of her time, and at least 80% (dead minimum) should be looking forward and committed to continuing in the program next season, including participating in the off-season activities and workouts.

I think I can safely speak for Coach Cerutti in proclaiming this year a success. Speaking of Coach Cerutti, I can only say, "What a gift!" to our program, and not just because he and I could share so many cultural references. The man is a gifted teacher and everyone associated with the program, including (and especially) me, learned and benefitted from his contributions on so many levels. I know Coach Poe is looking forward to returning next year after her maternity leave, but I've already let Coach Gibson know that we somehow need to find a way to have both on staff next year.

In no way does that slight what the other assistant and volunteer coaches brought to the party. No one works harder or has done more to build the WGHS softball program than Bryan Gibson. Sam Pitlyck has improved the program and the girls' skills in many ways, but especially our OF play. Chris Fechtel's work with pitchers and catchers has paid dividends and Dave Knapp brings a candor to coaching that is valuable and refreshing. Our girls, and our program, have benefitted tremendously by having such a deep coaching staff. I'm proud to be associated with all of them.

The girls also benefitted from the continued parental support. That has been a constant in my time at Webster (I have actually coached more WG teams than Hancock, where I started my coaching career) and I thank you for that, and thank you, as well, for acceding to our pre-season request to model great sportsmanship and team spirit and refrain from umpiring. I know at least some of our parents noticed other teams who did not benefit from that positive parental attitude and who, IMO, suffered in comparison to ours. Your attitudes, as well as your daughters, make it easy for me to keep coaching and, because I enjoy it so much, I want to express my sincere appreciation for that support.

The girls haven't voted on their award winners, and I could say (and probably will at the banquet) good things about all 13 JV players. But I want to single out one girl who may have been overlooked (not by the coaches) and was, quite frankly, a warrior. Sophomore Becca DeGreeff strapped on the gear for every inning of every game. Our back-up catcher was injured early and plans to give Becca not only some rest but experience at other positions just never happened. She had her own injuries and issues, but never complained, never backed off, never gave less than her best. So this is my chance to broadcast my respect for her.

Softball is a stats-driven game, and I, having been raised with a scorecard in my hand, baseball cards next to my bed, and Strato-Matic players hidden away for midnight (and later) games with my brother, am a self-confessed numbers nerd. I don't post statistics during the season for a variety of reasons. First, I don't want to get into discussions about whether something was or was not a hit or an error, either at bat or afield. Second, I don't want to have discussions about who is playing when or where based on stats that may not reflect performance and/or ability. Finally, those parents who really want to keep track can do their own math based on the box scores, although I apologize for running out of gas the last week and being tardy with those games.

Nevertheless, as has become a tradition, below are the season totals. For comparison purposes, I am also including the stats from the six previous years. For better view, you can open/double click each year separately.

Again, many thanks to all involved, coaches, parents, district administration, but especially the girls who never gave us less than their best, for a great season. Looking forward to another great year in 2016.

Playing for Plastic: Successful Defense of Hancock Tourney Championship

I would like to tell you that winning all three games to successfully defend our Hancock Tournament Championship took away the pain from my back. It didn't. But it did at least make the agony worth it.

Game 1: Webster 15, Hancock 0

Taking nothing away from the Tigers, where I began my coaching career, but this was the walkover we expected, although it took taking the foot off the brakes in the 3rd to gain the 15-run mercy win, after Hancock shut us out in the second inning. I was pleased to learn that the school, with an enrollment of about 500, actually had more girls out for softball (28) than we did. Well, not pleased that we only had 27, but, you know. They also have teams in the feeder league for middle schoolers, so there's hope that the program can return to a competitive level. That half the kids on the feeder team, and 2-3 on their JV, are the daughters of former students is more than a little disconcerting, though.

Game 2: Webster 18, Parkway South 5

I expected this to actually be the championship tilt, given the strength of the P. South program. Yes, it was their freshman team, but many of their players come out of west county club ball. But we came out swinging, with quality ABs and our usual running game and the Patriots never quite knew what hit them. The first inning only ended because Jenna Hoffman's bullet up the middle found the pitcher's glove for a bases loaded, inning ending double play with 4 runs already across the plate.

When you pound out 20 hits and 18 runs (almost all earned), there are obviously lots of hitting stars, but for this section let's single out Nicole Preston's 3 for 3 with 4 RBI and Alina Castro's 3-for-3 and 3 RBI; Skyler Jones and Caroline Kinstler each contributed 2 hits, as did Josie Krueger backing her efforts in the circle as she notched her seventh win. Emma Hintze piled on with her first HR of her career. It wasn't just offense, though, as Julia Love slid over to third base and, as the country song goes, "...ripped out [the Patriot heart} and stomped that sucker flat...." with outstanding defensive play.

The Parkway South parents had been loud supporters of their team in its win in the first game over Affton, but were stunned by our offensive onslaught. One complimented our team as we made our way to Field 2 for the final, "Your girls can really hit!" Yes, yes they can.

Game 3: Webster 14, DuBourg 7

And we would need to. This was not the same DuBourg team we had dispatched with ease in the Parkway Central Tournament a few weeks before. And I mean literally not the same team as they brought 4 of their varsity players with them. That's not uncommon with smaller schools that use those players primarily as back-ups. However, I was a little disappointed that the Cavaliers did not take advantage of the opportunity to bat the lineup and left two of their JV players languishing on the bench. One of the reasons we play in this tournament is because it gives ALL our girls one last chance to showcase their skills. Even sophomore Karlee Scholtes, who, unfortunately, was forced to spend most of her season on the bench with a concussion and learning how to work the scoreboard, got to spend time in the first base coaching box and share in our success.

We needed those skills as we quickly fell behind 4-0 after just an inning and a half. One of the character traits of this 2015 squad is their adherence to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Rule #1: Don't panic. We narrowed the gap to 4-2, got a shutdown inning from Josie Krueger, who picked up her eighth win in relief, went ahead 5-4, but fell behind again 7-5 as the DuBourg's varsity stack at the top of their lineup added three more runs. 

The Statesmen were up to the task, however, putting a 6-spot on the board in the fourth and adding three more as the game ended with the time limit and Webster still batting. Becca DeGreeff had a Field 2 HR (If I could hit a 9-iron with that spin and precision, well, I'd still be a bad golfer) and didn't need her usual courtesy runner. (Nicole Preston had hers overturned by a ground rules interpretation that cost us a couple early runs, and had to settle for a double.) Emma Hintze, Julia Love, Skyler Jones, and (the aforementioned) Nicole Preston each had two hits in the championship game. Note that our hits game from our 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 11th batters in our lineup. 

Too snarky? Too bad. We kept running, piling up 12 stolen bases. No apologies. They may be the Cavaliers, but it was Webster who had the horses. It was a great gift on a cold day to see the joy in the girls' faces as they accepted the championship trophy. We'll bring it to the banquet on Monday, October 26 and then it can join its sister from 2013 (the tournament was rained out last year). The three wins pushed our final record to 14-9 and put the cap on a successful JV season.

Coming Soon: The Season Recap. For now, enjoy the last batch of pix from our team photographer, AmyJo Love.

Best Game Yet? Marquette 7, Webster 4

We always play Marquette near season's end. They are always a good team. They always expect to beat us, sometimes frustrating their (good, competent) coach by not playing up to their level. So far, they always have. And, to put the Fox game into perspective, the Mustangs had split two games with the Warriors, run-ruling them but then losing 5-4 on a walk off,

I think it's indicative of how far our team, our entire team, has developed, that we were tied 4-4 after 5 innings. That we eventually lost by the deadline-mentioned 7-4 score diminishes none of that. Our ultimate goal for JV, every year, is to end the season as a more skilled and cohesive team than we started. Mission accomplished. 

Despite playing short-handed, with only 10 healthy players available, we ran the bases well, putting pressure on the Marquette nine, played solid defense, and saw Josie Krueger continue to grow in the circle. We were again complimented by both the opposing coach and umpiring crew on a well-played JV game. We're ready to defend our title tomorrow in the Hancock JV Tournament.

Defining Moments: Webster 9, Fox 8

There are usually defining games in a season. Probably, for this team, the Festus game was one. But the Fox game reinforced the team identity of one who refused to concede defeat, even in games they (perhaps) didn't expect to win. Perhaps that should be modified to read, "...games coaches didn't expect to win."

Fox has a very strong varsity squad this year, stronger even than last year when the Fox JV came on strong in the final innings to take a game away from us that we had shocked them with by jumping out ahead early. Capitalizing on a mistake and using our speed (8 stolen bases), we jumped ahead and then came back immediately after Fox had seemed to seize the momentum, added on and then held on to win 9-8. Nicole Preston had a key sacrifice to set up the comeback and then drove in what would turn out to be the game winner.

Allyson Peters and Josie Krueger put their tandem act on display in the circle and were helped by strong defense all around, but especially in the outfield. It was a total team effort with contributions by all 12 available players. It was a defining victory that set us up for both the Marquette game on Friday and the season-ending Hancock Tournament on Saturday. Our record now stands at a respectable 11-8 heading into our last 4 games.

Starting the Final Week: Webster 15, CJA 8

Coming off two tough, but decisive losses to Kirkwood and Northwest, we enter the last week of the season looking at 3 games and the season-ending Hancock Tournament.

We finally got to play Cor Jesu at their home field of Affton Athletic Association after a scheduling mix-up earlier in the season. We anticipated another tough game, given that we've gone into extra innings the last two years. However, Josie Krueger stayed calm in the circle despite some shaky defense behind her early, winning her sixth game of the season. The bats boomed as we pounded out 15 hits, including 5 from our one and two hitters, Olivia Weik and Alina Castro, matched by 7 RBI between catcher Becca DeGreeff and second baseman Julia Love. Our speed continued to play a huge role in our game as we added 9 stolen bases to the offensive onslaught.

Although our inability to keep CJA down early made the game a little more tense than necessary, there was little doubt in our minds of the eventual outcome as it quickly became clear that the Chargers would not be able to control either our bats or our wheels, and we outscored them in every inning until the sixth and seventh. A solid win and a solid start to our final week.

Sour Taste

I confess that there are some games that I want to win more than others. Seldom do I know that in advance, although there is a coach or two that makes winning more enjoyable. But when the coaches (and, to a lesser extent, the fans) act like world peace is at stake or who nod pleasantly in the pre-game about the importance of sportsmanship and then proceed to spend the next seven or so innings whining about every call.... I have no problem asking about a call if it's a rule interpretation or if I think an umpire's partner might have had a different, or better, view of a play. But when you "ask" about every call that didn't go your way, you have, IMO (I never use IMHO because humility is something I'm seldom accused of), a skewed view of sportsmanship. 

So moving on, our home game against Northwest Cedar Hill (that used to be called Northwest House Springs until they moved into the converted prison they now call a school. Wait, what, it's NOT a converted prison? They actually intended for it to look like that? Oh, okay, never mind. Just ignore that part.) was expected to be, and was, a test. Because we lost you might think the coaches viewed the results as a failure. 

Not so. We could have rolled over and quit and ended the game early. Instead, we kept fighting, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th and making the final out on a hard shot by Alina Castro. We hit the ball well and kept the pressure on the Lions. They were, as they demonstrated in the pre-season Jamboree, a little better than us. I think that we can win 3-4 times if we played them 10, but, as noted above, really playing them once is sufficient.

That kind of perseverance fits my definition of a successful effort. From Day One, we preach the mantra of "Win with Class, Lose with Class," and this game exemplified that approach, at least on our side of the field.

As always, enjoy the pictures from AmyJo Love.

More entries coming soon

Apologies for not having kept the JV Softball Blog up to date. The working full time, weekend travel, and the season itself have just kind of overwhelmed me the last couple weeks. It didn't help that the Cardinals also needed my assistance watching them on TV until they were able to clinch the division.

But the box scores are done and the entries written (in my head -- I just need to find them in that chaos). I promise to catch up this week.

However, we just completed a very good season. For those NOT keeping score at home, we finished the season with an overall record of 14-9 and successfully defended our Hancock Tournament Champions title, even with a year's delay thanks to last year's rainout. However, even more important, the girls really came together as a team. I'll be adding more thoughts in the Season Wrap-up, but first I have to get all the games done.

For now we'll be working with the varsity as they prepare for districts, but I want to thank Tim Cerutti for his work with the girls and the program. I'm hopeful he will be with us again next year and that Coach Poe will also be on board. Great coaches, even better people.

Time to Retire? Kirkwood 18, Webster 9

Give Kirkwood credit. We jumped out to a 6-run lead, but the Pioneers refused to circle their wagons and hunker down. Instead, they went on the attack, ran the bases aggressively, continued to put pressure on us, and we cracked, dropping our overall record to 9-7.

With two players injured and two more just out of their sick beds, we had trouble adjusting both mentally and physically. The 9-run deficit does not reflect the difference between the teams. I think we win 4 or 5 times if we play them 10 times, but the Kirkwood coaching staff has done a great job of improving their program.

But if I've ever lost to Kirkwood as a JV coach, I don't remember it; we won the last two years in extra innings each time, results reflective of their improving program. Oh, the shame....

We swung the bats pretty well, paced by Alina Castro's 4-for-4 game, which included a 2-run homer in the first. However, we had trouble getting the ball to stick in our gloves; neither did we seem as mentally sharp as in previous games and had trouble responding to their aggressive base running.

That happens, so you move on, keep working hard (no complaints on that score), and work for a win against Northwest Cedar Hill tomorrow. Then we try to finish our last week of the season with a rush. We will only have a 23-game schedule as McClure North changed their mind about making up the rainout which was scheduled, and then unscheduled, for October 5. 

So we'll finish at the Hancock Tournament and try to defend our championship status. 

Summit Feeling Blue: Webster 14, Summit 8

If you're ever tempted to complain about bad calls, remember this game. I think we win anyway, but I felt bad for Summit, who came out on the short end of almost every call in the field, including one where I called our runner out from the third-base coaching box, only to be overruled by the field ump. They may have been seeing red more than feeling blue, but they were gracious in the post-game and didn't take their (deserved) hard feelings out on us on a beautiful day for softball.

Despite having two players on the DL (Karlee Scholtes, concussion symptoms, Olivia Weik, flu), we used our speed and aggressive base running to push the agenda and open up a 12-3 lead. We couldn't push it over the 10-run rule, in part because of some curious base running of our own and questionable coaching decisions over in the third-base box.

Nevertheless, Josie Krueger earned her fifth win by taking over in the circle in Inning 2 and finishing out the game, showing good control with only 2 walks. Julia Love had a very strong game at second and the plate and Nicole Preston took advantage of her opportunity with 2 hits, 2 RBI, 2 putouts and an OF assist. Her strong back up allowed our substitute center fielder Alina Castro to be aggressive to the ball, freezing a runner and giving Nicole the chance to make the force out at second. 

Becca DeGreeff knocked in 4 runs with her two hits, including a triple and Josie, Alina, Caroline and Emma (who now has 27 RBI in just 14 games) each added a couple more to pace our 16-hit attack. 

Despite Olivia's absence we continued to see strong OF play and our IF was good, as well. Once again, a solid team effort resulted in our fourth win a row. We travel to Kirkwood Wednesday in another conference game that should present a challenge. Hope to see a lot of orange in the stands that afternoon.

In the meantime, here's today's box and some great shots from AmyJo Love. (Thanks, Amy)