SOFTBALL

begins, the third baseman is the first person to cheer her teammates on. She also led by example, playing outstanding defense at third, hitting .364 with two home runs and 18 RBIs.

The spark plug of the group, second baseman Gianna Goodman, moved from ninth to lead-off for this year’s team and set the offensive tone early and often. Batting .408, Goodman was unstoppable on the bases stealing 24 without being thrown out. She led off ten games with base hits and promptly stole second eight times. She led the team with 32 runs scored, 13 of those coming in the first innings of games.

In the circle, Schuler was frustratingly effective for opponents. While not overpowering, she possessed an arsenal of pitches, creating ground ball outs and keeping hitters off balance. On the season, she threw 70% of her pitches for strikes, striking out 110, only walking 17 while compiling a 17-3 record with an ERA of 1.82. Offensively, she led the team hitting .495 with 8 home runs and 36 RBIs.

Reidy, a hard-nosed competitor with a rifle arm, caught the entire season without committing an error. Her tenacity behind the dish discouraged opponents from attempting steals, as opponents were successful on only eight attempts. She complemented her battery mate Schuler with 6 home runs and 23 RBIs.

The Lorson cousins were key contributors, with Abby recording 169 putouts at first base while driving in 10 runs. Sage enjoyed a stretch during the season in which she drove in runs in ten consecutive games and belted two home runs.

Freshmen outfielders Mikiaya Hills and Maddie Pinkerton were outstanding defensively, committing only one error among 44 chances between them. Both responded well during their rookie year, Hills hitting .354 and Pinkerton .316.

Mountaineer reserves Holtzappel, McLaughlin, and Betz all contributed hits while committing no errors in the field. As competitors, these Mounties went into every game expecting to come out on top.

The BEA loss hurt, but the pride of the 2023 season was there for all to appreciate.

“This is a good group of girls,” Rieppel said. “They have a relatively young, strong core. I couldn’t have been happier to play with anyone else. They welcomed me in, being the only senior starting, and I’m so proud of every single one of them.”

The Mountaineer fans, coaches, and parents can say the same thing.

“The girls fought to the last pitch,” head coach Tom O’Malley told the media after the game. “I’m proud of the season we had, and hopefully, we can build on where we were last year, what we achieved this year, and continue to get better.”

There is an old sports saying, “Work will win when wishing won’t.” While it may be true, these Lady Mounties wished they would have won; you can be guaranteed they will keep working hard to achieve that ultimate goal.