2017 Season Recap

We set records in 2016, including most wins (16, despite getting rained out of a tournament and another game) and winning percentage. It was a natural follow-up when people complimented that team, “You had a good year. What does next year look like?” Having seen what was in the pipeline through the feeder league and elsewhere, I brashly said, violating a long-standing rule of never predicting the results of any JV game, much less season, “I think we’re going to be even better.” Then I started to worry that maybe last year’s record just might be harder to eclipse than I thought. But apparently this was the year for total eclipses.

If you’re a coach, you worry. At the risk of sounding like a commercial for an insurance company with an amphibian spokesperson, it’s what you do. Those worries, as it turned out, were needless. It took us only 12 more innings to play 4 more games and compile a 22-2 record; in 2016 we outscored the opposition by 100+ runs; this year the margin was 200+. We took home a second-place plaque in our inaugural entry in the Ft. Zumwalt South Tournament and successfully defended our 4^th straight Hancock Tournament trophy. Like last year, we extended more mercy to our opponents and required none in return.

All those stats, and more, are available below. (Double click to open for a larger view.) As usual, I have also included those of previous years for those who think that’s important. I’m a fan of the Impressionist School, but JV statistics offer little more than a fuzzy replication of the season because programs vary wildly from year to year. But what is clear is that the Webster program is successfully bringing in players every year that can help our varsity program successfully compete with other schools. It was my pleasure to have coached all six graduating seniors from our 2017 varsity squad – I’m proud of the athletes they are, but even prouder of the young women they have become who do such a magnificent job of representing their team, their school and their community.

This will look familiar to sophomore parents because (full disclosure) it’s mostly copied from last year’s season-ending entry. However, truth is truth, and the core values of Webster Softball do not really change.


We do, of course, set expectations for our program, but those expectations have nothing to do with wins, losses, or any other statistic. However, our goals are fairly consistent from year to year:

     1 – There should be a noticeable improvement in each girl’s game from 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 be, well, statesmen, maintaining a high level of sportsmanship and competitiveness that reflects positively on the district, the school, the team, and themselves. 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 2018 season. 

     5 – Every player should be able to look back on the season as a worthwhile and enjoyable investment of her time and effort, and a minimum of 80% are looking forward and being committed to continuing in the program next season, including participation in the off-season activities and workouts.

I think I can safely speak for my invaluable assistant coaches, Tim Cerutti, Kate Wylie, and David Knapp, when I declare this season a success. We are lucky to have such a large and talented coaching team, from the contracted staff to the many volunteers. I respect and enjoy working with all of them

Parental involvement and support is something I NEVER take for granted, although, like every year, it’s been consistently outstanding. I started my coaching career at Hancock High School. By the fourth game of every Statesmen season, I have met and almost always have seen virtually every parent of every player at one game or another. I can tell you that by the end of any four year stretch at Hancock High School, I hadn’t met every parent with a senior in the program. The support and sportsmanship the parents modeled for their daughters is an integral part of our success. Thank you for that.

If I were smart, I’d bid adieu to coaching, because I don’t think it’s possible to top this season, not in terms of wins and losses, which, while nice, are not the be-all-end-all of JV coaching. The bond of this team, the love, the family-feelings, well, they’ll be difficult, if not impossible to replicate in future seasons. But the sophomores next year who experienced the joy of this season have the leadership and personal skills to create their own dynamic and one I anticipate enjoying in equal measure. I look forward to seeing that play out, because THAT is the true value of high school sports and I have truly appreciated sharing that with my girls.

Again, many thanks to all involved, coaches, parents, district administrators, but especially the girls themselves who never gave us less than their best, who never gave up on a teammate, for a fantastic season. Looking forward to another great year in 2018. Before that, there will be one more post about 2017 with some random observations about softball, coaching, and life in general. Because that’s what I do.

Exit Laughing (with Tears): Webster 17, Cor Jesu 0

The only games all season to be threatened by rain were the first and last, and we had to play through some light sprinkles today. Not that the weather was going to slow down this team!

Last year, facing Cor Jesu in our last game, we had trouble regaining our momentum from the Hancock tournament and thus finished our season with a loss. A couple factors kept that from happening this year, including the minor detail that this year’s edition of CJ wasn’t very good. However, we also kept our focus, took care of business, and quickly dispatched the Chargers by a 17-0 score.

I’d feel worse for them except for a minor incident as we were cruising in what was clearly going to be our last at bat (in the bottom of the second inning). We had not only taken our foot off the gas, we had even slammed on the brakes, leaving base early to end the first inning, stopping stealing, not scoring on the multitude of passed balls and wild pitches, etc.

We wanted to make sure every player participated in the last game of this magical season and were freely substituting. Apparently the umpire did not hear me call out the substitution. (I was pretty casual, although loud enough to be heard by most everyone else, by this time.) Apparently not trusting us to not run up the score, the CJ coach complained that we had made an illegal substitution (of our #4 hitter and clean-up batter) because the umpire had not reported the change to her, thus generating an out for “batting out of order” and depriving our sub of a walk and RBI. The umpire apologized after the game for not hearing the change. Irksome, but not a real problem. We just started scoring on passed balls and wild pitches to ensure we ended the game as quickly as possible. Karma is a real thing.

At the end the girls presented Coach Kate with her own spirit animal (unicorn), shed a tear or six, enjoyed one last break (“WEBSTER!!”), applauded their parents and fans for the season-long support, and headed for what I hope remains a tradition long after my last game, a trip to Serendipity for ice cream and more memories. I’ll have more to say in a day or two, with photos from the tournament and this game, a season wrap up, and perhaps another article of observation, but for now, 22-2 will stand as a record for a long, long time.

More Reasons to Celebrate -- The Magic Season Continues

It was a beautiful day (in the neighborhood) for softball, specifically the Hancock Tournament where we gathered on (Homerun) Field 2 to defend our title (actually, our three consecutive titles) and try to extend our 7-game winning streak to 10.

When the oddsmakers in Vegas heard that Affton had dropped at the last minute and been replaced by Parkway South’s upper echelon JV squad, the numbers on the big board changed rapidly and dramatically, perhaps fueled in part by the confidence exhibited by the Parkway South parents. “Webster who?” Of course, what were the odds of losing three straight coin tosses to determine home team? (Actually, as it turns out, according to Marilyn Vos Savant, 50-50, but never mind.)

An Experiment and Control Group: Webster 20, Gateway Science Academy 8

First things first. GSA (Gateway Science Academy) and their young program suggested a rule change that mirrors the WGBSL’s rec-league rules for 3^rd and 4^th grade: 5 runs or 3 outs, whichever comes first. We demurred and promised to find a more authentic way to end the carnage if that became necessary. In addition to letting GSA have the call on the coin flip we were beginning to second guess ourselves after our opponents answered our 4-run first with their own 8-spot. I wasn’t really worried, but we had never allowed that many runs to a team we had defeated all year.

Order was restored with a pitching change and our own 9-run 2^nd inning. We tacked on 7 more in the 3^rd, including two “leaving early” calls (yes, there’s an app, I mean sign, for that) to end the inning and move us into the semi-final round with a 20-8 victory. Sarah Sammon (double) and Nicola Rikand (home run) each contributed an extra base hit to go with many walks, wild pitches and uncontested stolen bases.

The mismatch wasn’t really a challenge, but neither was there any sense of panic on the bench or in the coaching box after we fell behind. The victory meant we were able to stay at Field 2 for Game 2 against the Parkway South JV-Blue (freshman) squad.

Blue Patriots: Webster 16, Parkway South (Blue) 0

Well, that didn’t take long. I didn’t have the heart to tell the Patriot coach we were featuring an “upside down” lineup after 2 of the first three batters banged home runs and we led 3-0 before the umpire had a chance to dust the plate again. By the time P. South had recorded their third out, we were up 11-0. Taylor Knapp notched her eighth win by keeping things that way, pitching a 3-inning, 1-hit shutout and we added more runs in the second (2) and third (3), with a triple from Hannah Jansen and a homer from Kelly Collins. Errorless defense supported the pitching and the game ended quickly on the 15-run rule, setting up the championship finale.

Red or Blue, We Don’t Care: Webster 9, Parkway South (Red) 7

This was a worthy championship game, featuring two strong programs, even if only one thought they deserved the trophy. Because we had the same plate umpire for all three games, I was saved the trouble of giving him a new roster each game. “Same as last time,” said I. Parkway South declined the “Bat the Roster” option. (That’s the primary reason we play this tournament – if we didn’t want the chance to showcase ALL our players, we’d find a different tournament.)

In the post-game autopsy, Coach Cerutti praised the girls, saying “Parkway batted their best 9.” Hannah Jansen’s perfect rejoinder? “We batted our best 14.” Does anyone wonder why the coaching staff loves this team? Life doesn’t always turn out this way, sadly, but when doing (what you think is) the right thing has the desired result, well, it’s just (insert your adjective here).

The Patriots jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Statesmen pitching and defense adjusted and cooled their momentum. In our top of the third, Megan Hayes worked a walk, Rebekah Riefle added a single and Jessica Peterson bashed her first career home run to seize the lead. Kelly Collins drove in Hannah Jansen and Carissa Castro with a double to stun the Patriots and their supporters.

Good baserunning by Guin Ellsworth in the 4^th saw her cross the plate as Sarah Sammon battled a 2-strike count to make contact and get an insurance run across. We flirted with disaster, in more ways than one, in the fifth. A line drive up the middle skipped off the top of Kelly Collins’s head, temporarily putting her on the bench. A Field 2 home run off Taylor Knapp knotted the score before she could get the third out.

As Coach Knapp pointed out in the post-game, this team doesn’t play for themselves but for each other. With Kelly on the bench and under an ice bag, we rallied for three runs, with a huge hit by Taylor Graning and a clutch single by Maya Litton that drove in two and scored another when the Patriots panicked. With a 9-6 lead and time expired, a single and error put a runner on second with no one out in the sixth; Kelly returned to the circle. She recorded two quick outs (scoring P. South’s seventh run), but the third, fourth and fifth hitters in their lineup all reached. Bases loaded, two outs, momentum seemingly on the side of the Red Team.

But the red faces belonged to the Patriots as Kelly induced a ground ball back to her and she made no mistake in getting the ball to Maya for Out #3 and a hard-fought 9-7 win. Can you say, “Four-peat?” I can. The pride I have in this team, their hard work, their unity, their general attitude and love for the game, would not have changed, no matter the outcome, no matter the score. But it was such a pleasure, such an honor to take the trophy from Hancock’s A.D. (and my former student and softball scorekeeper from my days as a Tiger) and hand it to the most deserving group of young women with whom it’s been my pleasure to associate.

Well done, ladies. Couldn’t be happier for you reaping your deserved reward. With or without the trophy, you are champions! Look for Tourney pix tomorrow or Monday (after a short practice to prep for our last game against Cor Jesu on Tuesday) after I get a chance to download them. Oh, our record, you ask? 21-2.

Making Mush of the Huskies: Webster 17, Ritenour 2

It wasn’t pretty, particularly, but we walked, then ran, our way to our first (JV) conference championship when the “other” orange and black, the Ritenour Huskies, paid us a visit. If they were impressed by our reputation, they declined to show it and were aggressive in the first inning, using a walk and a couple misplays on a bunt to score their first two runs.

Turns out it was also their last two. Despite lots of base runners on walks, there were no hits against our two pitchers, Nicola Rikand, who picked up her second victory, and Taylor Knapp who closed out the game.

We didn’t generate a lot of hits, either, managing only 5 in our almost 4 innings of play. Three of those were of the extra base variety, including loud triples from our CF combo, Jessica Peterson and Rebekah Riefle and a bases clearing 3-run double from Nicola to cap a 9-run first inning, the last 7 of which came with two outs. The last three also came with two outs in the bottom of the fourth and brought the game to an early finish via the 15-run rule.

Most of our offense was given to us, with an uncharacteristic 7 walks (plus a hit batsman) from the Huskies hurler; those passes were supplemented with another 7 reached on error gifts and at least a half dozen wild pitches or passed balls, allowing runs to score. As crisp as yesterday’s game was, this felt different, even if it generated the expected outcome.

The best part of the game? That our girls supported their teammates throughout, cheering each other on with a team-first attitude. As Jack Buck used to say, “Now, that’s a winner!”

We’ll see everyone Saturday on Field 2 at Affton Athletic at 7:15, with an 8 a.m. start time, as we look to extend our winning streak for three more games past its current 7 and continue to grow our 18-2 record.

Pioneers at a Loss. Webster 7, Kirkwood 0

If the Pioneers of Kirkwood thought we had gained a lucky win in our last meeting, they might be rethinking.

After our last game, in our post-game autopsy, I told the girls that even though we had won, “The good news is, we can play better.” Today we showed that. Coach Cerutti echoed the thoughts of the coaching staff when he told the girls, “This didn’t look like a JV team.” We looked like a good softball team, one that knows how to play the game and does it the right way.

Adding to the perpetual pleasure of defeating the red and white of the ‘Wood was that it happened on “Sophomore Day,” when the freshmen took time out to honor (and generate hugs and more than a few tears from) the leadership corps that has helped make this such a special team, a true team in every sense of the word. We have 14 softball players, and they proved it today, with support for each other and a love for the game. And now, yes, really truly, we did set the Webster record for JV victories, notching #17 (eclipsing last year’s 16-win season) behind Kelly Collins’s shutout, 5 RBI from Nicola Rikand and Hannah Jansen, and some great defense, especially the Right Side Leatherettes of Megan Hayes, Maya Litton and Jessica Peterson.

When people asked me how we were going to be this year, my standard response was, “Remember how good we were last year? I think we’re going to be better.” Thankfully, the girls proved me right. We plan to keep the winning streak going tomorrow as we take on the Huskies of Ritenour for the conference title. That game will give us a chance to show off our depth once again, building out experience levels for the weekend tournament.

We finish up our season next Tuesday with ice cream at Serendipity after the game. Sweet finish to a sweet season.

Okay, I wasn’t going to add more pix because it’s late and I’m working tomorrow and I still haven’t printed out the lineup, but I went through them and just couldn’t let them not see blog-life. Pay particular attention, if you would, to the 5-picture sequence on a sacrifice bunt -- so many things being done right, including back-up coverage by JP. So many things to smile about and I’m still sitting on another 100 + shots.