CHARLOTTESVILLE — Eastern Hancock softball coach Terry Stephens is adding experience to an already experienced team.
When the 2019 season gets under way today with a Mid-Eastern Conference clash, at home, against Randolph Southern, the lineup will look familiar, but even the new faces are far from new to the game of softball.
“We have experience and even our freshmen coming in have a lot of travel ball experience,” Stephens said. “They know the game. When I ask them to do something, it makes sense to them. They’ve done it before.”
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Along with summer league play, the freshmen are coming off a successful middle school season, finishing 11-2 in 2018.
“This freshman group has a lot of talent,” senior catcher Eriel Truitt said.
Truitt and the returning players are talented, too.
Last year’s team had a solid year, but they’d like to get back to the performances from 2016 and 2017. The Royals went 15-10 overall and 5-2 in the MEC. Both conference losses were by one run. A hope for a third straight sectional title ended in the tournament semifinals with a tough 2-0 loss to rival Knightstown.
Only two regulars, Micah Black and Bree Ashby, graduated from last year’s team. Black was an honorable mention all-county selection.
Stephens admitted the pair will be hard to replace, but with a savvy group of newcomers joining a large contingent of vets, hopes are very high.
“With our defense and the way we can put the ball in play and our softball knowledge, I like our chances with pretty much anybody this year,” Stephens added. “We want to win conference. We could taste that last year, with the close losses and, without a doubt, we’d like to win the sectional and whatever else comes after that.”
The returnees’ experience is ample. As 2016 freshmen, the seniors reached the Class 2A Final Four, earning sectional and regional titles along with a school-record 20 wins. They, along with the juniors, were part of another 20-win season and sectional championship in 2017.
Senior Faithe Webster was an all-county choice a year ago. She will be back in left field. The senior hit .481, led the county with 10 stolen bases and had three triples last year. Two other honorable mention all-county players return in junior first baseman Paige Wickard, who led last year’s club with 32 RBI to go with a .444 average, and senior Megan Bever, who moves from third base to second base to make room for one of the freshmen, Taylor Koch. Bever hit .435 in 2018 with 10 RBI.
“We have a lot of potential to do great things this year,” Bever said.
Senior Truitt, like Webster and Bever, is a returning all-MEC choice. She hit .333 a year ago.
Junior Bailey Stephens is coming off a strong year where she hit .389 and drove in 20 runs. She was the shortstop last year but may move to right field. Freshman Kaylee Stewart has impressed at shortstop, too, while freshman Bre Taulbee could be in right field if Stephens is at short. Another first-year player, Caroline Stapleton, is set to play in center field.
More depth and varsity experience comes from senior Madison Clutinger, junior Hannah Lewis and sophomore Rachel Jessup. All had 30 or more at-bats a year ago.
“I’m excited because a lot of the freshmen have experience,” Webster said. “I know we’re young but there is a lot of experience.”
Then, there’s the pitching, the most experienced spot of all.
All 142 innings in the circle are back. Senior Elise Bittinger went 6-5 with a team-best 66.2 innings pitched. Junior Jessi Potts was 7-4 and had 63 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. Sophomore Maddie Turner was 2-0 with a mere 0.67 ERA in 21 innings. She also had 35 strikeouts.
“Micah and Bree will be hard to replace, but with the group we have back and this freshmen group we have coming in, we are exceptionally faster,” coach Stephens said.
“I learned last year, we had seven home runs as a team, so those don’t come very often. We’re going to manufacture runs, put the ball in play, play small ball. If the ball goes over the fence, that’s a bonus.”
Of last year’s seven home runs, six came from Black (four) and Ashby (two). Clutinger had the other.
The extra speed, coach Stephens believes, will help both on offense and defense. Along with the small ball on offense, he believes the speed will enable them to make some plays on defense they may not have been able to make last year.
If they put it all together, it could be a special year for the Royals.
“A lot of it will come down to teamwork and this group works well together,” Truitt said. “I feel real comfortable and I think we’ll work well this year.”
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Eastern Hancock Royals
Coach: Terry Stephens (second year)
Last season: 15-10, 5-2 MEC; lost 2-0 to Knightstown in Class 2A sectional semifinal
Key returnees: OF Faithe Webster (.481, 32 R, 10 SB, all-county, all-MEC), IF Megan Bever (.435. 10 RBI, HM all-county), C Eriel Truitt (.333, all-MEC), IF/OF Bailey Stephens (.389, 20 RBI), 1B Paige Wickard (.444, HM all-county, 32 RBI, 6 2B), P Elise Bittinger (6-5, 4.83 ERA, 66.2 IP), P Jessi Potts (7-4, 4.64 ERA, 63 K, 54.1 IP)
Top newcomers: SS Kaylee Stewart, OF Caroline Stapleton, IF Taylor Koch, OF Bre Taulbee
Outlook: Hopes are high in Charlottesville. Along with returning the majority of a lineup that was two runs shy of a Mid-Eastern Conference championship, the Royals have a solid group of freshmen that are expected to provide immediate help. The expectations are not going unnoticed. The Royals are receiving votes in the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association (ICGSA) preseason poll.
Notable: All 142 innings thrown in the circle during 2018 return. Senior Elise Bittinger, junior Jessi Potts and sophomore Maddie Turner give the Royals depth and experience on the pitching staff. Also, to make room for freshman third baseman Taylor Koch, all-MEC and all-county honorable mention infielder Megan Bever has moved to second base. Kaylee Stewart’s prowess as a shortstop may also send another talented veteran, Bailey Stephens, to right field.
Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
March 21;Randolph Southern;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 9;Knightstown;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 10;Blue River Valley;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 11;Warren Central;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 12;Tri;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 15;Hamilton Southeastern;6:00 p.m.
Apr. 16;at Morristown;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 17;Daleville;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 20;at Lawrence North;10:00 a.m.
Apr. 22;Alexandria Monroe;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 23;at Northeastern;5:00 p.m.
Apr. 24;at Wes-Del;5:30 p.m.
Apr.25;Triton Central;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 29;at Heritage Christian;5:30 p.m.
Apr. 30;at Monroe Central;5:30 p.m.
May 1;at Frankton;5:00 p.m.
May 3;Centerville;5:30 p.m.
May 4;Lapel (DH);10:00 a.m.
May 6;at Shenandoah;5:30 p.m.
May 9;at Anderson;5:30 p.m.
May 10;Wapahani;5:30 p.m.
May 11;at Blackford Invitational;10:00 a.m.
May 14;Cowan;5:30 p.m.
May 16;at North Decatur;5:30 p.m.
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