CM Softball: Abundance of Talent Returns
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Your team reaches the PIAA quarterfinals in 2017 and you bring back 11 letter-winners, five of them Heartland Conference all-stars and two of those all-state selectees. You have to feel good about your squad for 2018.
That is where second-year Central Mountain head coach Ben Trew finds himself. In something of an understatement, Trew was asked about team strengths for the new season and didn’t hesitate to say “pretty much everyone is back,” along with some new talent coming up from the junior varsity.
Because of that talent, Trew said, the goal is to get further than a year ago which include a 16-8 mark and the District 6/9 title. He said the Lady Wildcats “hope to get back there and then some” in 2018.
Talent back from a year ago includes these squad members who won Heartland Conference honors last season: First-teamers were pitcher Cait Brush, infielders Skylar Smith and Josie Dershem and outfielder Morgan Wetzel. Maegan Miller earned second team honors as an outfielder. All-state honors went to Brush, Smith and Wetzel.
Brush put up outstanding junior season numbers, going 11-5 as a pitcher with a league-leading earn run average of 2.21. She also helped herself with the bat, hitting .375 and tying for the team lead in RBIs with 19. Smith last year had 19 runs batted in while batting .368; Dershem, the second baseman, hit .350 and tied for the team lead with 18 runs scored; Smith and Dershem made for a solid double-play combination in the infield.
Wetzel was the lone sophomore to be accorded all-league honors last year. She hit .350 and tied Brush for the team lead in doubles with eight each. Miller hit .400 and also scored 18 runs in her junior season.
Other letter-winners returning are Madison Knepp, Cassidy Brush, Madalyn Bechdel, Jenni Skow, Bailee Renninger and Autumn Dershem.
Looking to the regular season, Trew said he expects Shikellamy, Jersey Shore and Shamokin to be among the principal competition in the Heartland Conference. He noted the strength of the Lady Wildcat schedule (including last week’s opening game 13-5 loss to District 6 Class 6A power Mifflin County). Contests will include Williamsport, plus the team’s annual Thunder on the Mountain tournament. That event will be unique in that it will feature a father-versus-son coaching matchup. One of the semifinals on Saturday, April 28 will be Central Mountain against Seneca Valley out of District 7. Seneca Valley is coached by Trew’s father. Other teams in the tourney are DuBois from District 9 and Hempfield from District 7 (WPIAL).
The Lady Wildcats were to travel to Selinsgrove this Thursday, but the game has been postponed, make-up date to be announced. Next home game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 3 with Shamokin. It will be aired on AM1230 WBPZ and streamed on therecord-online.
