As of press time, high school springs sports events and practices had been postponed until April 10. That announcement came as the finishing touches were being put on the Spring Sports preview. We have decided publish these previews in order to highlight Hardy County’s high school athletes, should no opportunity exist later.
East Hardy Softball is a team full of energy and has rejuvenated the determination and passion to create victories this season growing stronger from each play and circumstance along the path to Charleston.
Having the school closures due to the Covid-19 virus, dealing with the absence of practices and games has been devastating and yet the team is ready to accept the challenge moving forward hoping to play once again.
“Talking with them…has been heartbreaking. I still don’t think I’ve fully processed everything. My heart breaks for our seniors. They have worked so hard throughout their careers and were excited for a great season. We are all still remaining optimistic and praying that we will be on the field soon. Even if it’s a shortened season, we will still get to do what we love together,” East Hardy Softball fifth-year head coach Ashley Taylor stated.
The Cougars look to improve on a 9-9 record from last season.
East Hardy is led by seniors Madison Strawderman (SS), Chelsea Keller (DP/1B), Rebecca Whetzel (1B/3B) and Emily Yates (CF/LF).
Strawderman and Yates are aggressive in fielding the ball, diving to make plays in the dirt or outfield, or even leaping for it.
Their dynamic style of play ignites an enthusiastic spark for the team helping change the momentum of a game.
Strawderman was selected to the Class A All-State Special Honorable Mention team last season and joined Riggle on the All-Potomac Valley Conference team.
Keller and Whetzel are great at making solid catches and know how to create the tags for outs.
At the plate, these seniors have been very patient and can deliver hits anywhere which gives the Cougars an opportunity to score at any moment.
East Hardy junior Perry Whetzel was the primary pitcher last season and has proven to be sharp in the circle and can play in various positions on the field to help the team’s success when not pitching as there are now five quality arms ready to deal strikes.
East Hardy junior Erin Riggle has been one of the most versatile players whether playing infield, outfield, baserunning or notching quality time pitching which enables her to be one of the top utility players with a solid batting power to compliment the rest.
The four other pitchers and utility players will be sophomore Madison Heishman and freshmen Gabreanna Miller, Tori Pratt and Autumn Crites.
Heishman was a good outfielder last year and could make the diving [private]play when necessary.
Emily Moyers, a junior, will be another utility player ready to execute plays in any spot on the field or come in as a courtesy runner.
East Hardy will look to sophomore Victoria Ames to be the primary catcher, but freshman Emma Heishman can handle the duties when called upon.
Understanding the concept of small ball, sophomore utility player Makenzie Blair and freshman utility player Leah Kessler have a knack for bunting to provide the opportunity for teammates to advance and have the skills to play anywhere needed.
Given the chance, look for East Hardy to surprise teams this season with the knowledge they have learned under coaches Ashley Taylor and Kelly Heishman.
Kelly Heishman, the father of Madison Heishman, is also the East Hardy County Little League president and has been a coach in the league for many years.
Coaches Taylor and Heishman are East Hardy High School alumni too.
When asked what the goals are for the season, Coach Taylor noted “our goals are to become better athletes, teammates and people.”
Just like the coronavirus throwing the season a curve ball, when something goes awry in a game there are teammates around to assist and guide to a positive outcome.
East Hardy Softball’s team motto is: “Respect All, Fear None”.
The schedule might be cut in half, but East Hardy will make the most of it with a new team added to the mix facing Handley High from Virginia on April 15 in a doubleheader in Baker.
The Cougars are anticipating playing in the Bub Riggleman Tournament held in Moorefield on April 17-18.
East Hardy has several Class AA opponents on the schedule including Berkeley Springs, Petersburg, Frankfort and Keyser including a Golden Tornado tournament on April 24-25.
Moorefield is on the schedule for April 21 on the road and Pendleton County is the finale on May 1 if the season resumes and the schedule doesn’t change.
Coach Taylor answered questions for the pending softball season.
From your experience playing softball, are there specific life lessons you would like players to know to become citizens on and off the field?
Life lessons that I’d like our players to learn is that life will throw your curveballs. It’s not always going to be easy. I want them to learn that they don’t have to do life alone. Just like playing sports, you have your teammates to help pick you up. I want them to be able to accept help/criticism when warranted and to be there for others when they need picked up.
How do you keep practices informative and engaging for the minds of your players?
Kelly and I try to talk girls through different situations. We try to help them recognize their weaknesses on their own and how to adjust and fix them. We also encourage our girls to recognize the weaknesses of others, provide constructive criticism, so they can help each other when a coach isn’t around.
Who are your returning players?
Returning players this year are Madison Strawderman, Chelsea Keller, Rebecca Whetzel, Emily Yates, Perry Whetzel, Erin Riggle, Emily Moyers Makenzie Blair, Victoria Ames, and Madison Heishman.
What positions have been assigned to each player?
• Madi Strawderman-SS- quick on the bases, great knowledge of the game, vocal leader, great range at SS.
• Chelsea Keller-DP/1st – quick hands in the box, good power, great personality/keeps things fun
• Rebecca Whetzel-1st/3rd – good power, communicates well on defense, has good range at 1st base
• Emily Yates-CF/LF- communicates well with outfielders, vocal leader
• Perry Whetzel- P/UT- handles tough situations well on the mound, can effectively play in multiple postions
• Erin Riggle- P/UT- good power in the box, can effectively play in multiple positions
• Emily Moyers- UT- willingly to play different positions, has a strong desire to improve, keeps things fun, has good power
• Makenzie Blair- UT- quick on the bases, bunts well, can play in many positions
• Vicki Ames-C/UT- willingly to play in different positions, hits well, keeps things fun
• Madison Heishman P/UT- smart on the bases, moves the ball well on the mound
• Emma Heishman C/OF- knows the catching position really well, has put a lot of work in at that spot, communicates well with pitchers
• Gabbie Miller P/UT- speed on the mound, power in the box, can play multiple positions
• Leah Kessler-UT- quick, bunts well, has a great swing, can play infield and outfield
• Autumn Crites-P/UT- lefty pitcher who moves the ball well, reads the ball well in the outfield
• Tori Pratt- P/UT- power in the box, good ball movement on the mound
How many seniors do you have and how do you replace the ones you lost to graduation?
• We have four seniors this year: Madison Strawderman, Emily Yates, Chelsea Keller and Rebecca Whetzel
• Jessica Smith and Sierra Dispanet were lost to graduation. Jessica had great speed In the outfield and a lot of power in the box. Sierra Dispanet had really good range at 1st base. The younger players have worked really hard this season to fill their shoes.
How impressed are you with the freshman class and what they can contribute?
I’m very impressed with the freshman class. They seem to have pretty good knowledge of the game and a strong work ethic. They’re not afraid to show what they’ve got.
What impresses you the most about your team?
What impresses me the most about this team is their perseverance. They don’t give up and work hard to overcome the many challenges they face.
When waiting in the on-deck circle, does it matter how many times a player swings the bat or pays attention to the pitcher?
[/private]I don’t tell the girls to take a specific amount of swings, but it is important for them to be loose and make sure they are training their hands to go to the ball. It’s very important to for the girls to watch the picture. They should be watching her windup to see if there are any indications to a specific pitch that is going to be thrown and to see if the pitcher has a specific sequence of pitches she typically uses. This helps our hitter anticipate what they may see when they’re in the box.