Guyer Softball Eager To Start Another Season

by Steve Gamel Guyer softball another season eager to start

Coming into the first wave of practices this season, Guyer softball coach Keith Medford did what any coach whose team was coming off a deep playoff run would do: he told his team that last year doesn’t matter anymore. After all, coaches at all levels never want their players to rely on past success or look too far ahead — because that’s what gets you beat.

But even Medford, who is the only coach the Lady Wildcats have known, admits their winning tradition is hard to overlook.

“We always tell them it’s a new year and new people, but it’s always nice to have successes to hang your hat on — not just last year, but for the last 14 years,” said Medford, who is entering his 15th season at Guyer. “That puts a little pressure on them, too, because they see all those banners in the outfield and want to keep that tradition going.”

While Guyer has yet to win a state title, it is consistently in the hunt and is coming off back-to-back runs to the third round of the Class 6A playoffs. Last year’s team finished 26-9 and was led by a dominant senior class that featured the likes of Morgan Medford, Kara Debruin, Bailey Anderson, Eva Myers, Jenna Rover, and Abby Willis. All those players have graduated, but unsurprisingly, coach Medford has plenty of weapons left in the lineup.

Heading into the Mid-Cities Tournament on February 20-22, the team’s first of three tournaments to start the year, the Lady Wildcats have a healthy mix of returning stars and girls who weren’t starters but still logged considerable time on the field in key situations. This includes the duo of pitcher Ranci Willis and second baseman Ryan Gallegos. Willis stepped up in a big way as a sophomore, going 19-8 with a 5.44 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 137 1/3 innings. Gallegos, a Syracuse commit, is a four-year starter and finished last year with a .341 average, 29 RBIs and 25 runs as a junior.

Flanking them are new faces such as right fielder Nikki Overton, who came on late last year to lock down the starting role. Catchers Maddison Slater and Kate Wentworth split time last year and will be competing for the starting nod. Kate Moala also returns at third base, leaving center field, left field, shortstop, and first base as the biggest holes.

The goal is to get everyone up to speed heading into what should be another murderer’s row of tough competition in District 5-6A. The district opener is set for March 9 against Keller Central.

“It’s going to be a good combination of kids. We’ll have some young ones, but we still have the experience. And we’ll have a pretty big roster,” Medford said. “District is going to be a dogfight every night. We have a lot of respect for the Keller schools, and Eaton looks to be the best team in the district on paper. If we can just get out of the district and into the playoffs, we will be battle-tested. That’s what happened last year, and we were very successful.”

The Player You Are Today Should Be Able To Out Play The Player You Were Yesterday