Jeff Kaley
WAURIKA — As the 2009 season dawns, It’s impossible to look at the Waurika softball program on paper and resist reviving the old chestnut “rebuilding season.”
When new coach Ivy Fitzgerald took a team of 12 players to the opening round of the Lady Bronchos Invitational, only half of whom had played an inning in a varsity game prior to the tourney at Central High.
The Lady Eagles are coming off a 13-12-1 season in 2008 that was the best the program has produced in the past decade, but four key figures in that success — Brittany Elkins, Kacee Daily, Kayla Salazar and Roxanne Sherrill — have graduated.
Fitzgerald inherited only one senior who contributed in that campaign — and Pattie Armstrong isn’t playing this season, she’s the team manager. Izzy Davis, the only other senior among the dozen players, has never played school ball.
There is some experience among the 11 remaining players, including three juniors who’ve been in the program since they were in junior high. But to say the Lady Eagles are “young” is an understatement.
Fitzgerald has no qualms about agreeing this will be a rebuilding season. Still, the former Lady Eagle thinks the conditions are ripe for some quick learning and growth.
“I was really optimistic at the beginning of school that we’d have more (players) on the team, because I had 18 on the list in the summer. And, yes, I would like a couple more players with experience,” said Fitzgerald, who began her high school career at WHS, before going on to graduate from Velma-Alma and then play at East Central University.
In the same breath, Fitzgerald quickly noted, “In one way, 12 players is a perfect number. That means everybody will get a chance to play a lot, either with the varsity team or with the j-v team. And playing time is what this team needs.”
Juniors Megan Lovett, Kelsi Dennard, Amber Hall and Sage Perry Bryant are Fitzgerald’s “veterans.” Sophomore Makayla Peeples was a key contributor on the 2008 varsity and classmate Ana Gomez logged some varsity time as a freshman.
The other half-dozen Lady Eagles are green. Sophomore Brandi Clark didn’t play softball last year and freshmen Andrea Kerchee, Reyna Swift, Staci Brandon and Taylor Salazar are ... well, they’re freshmen. That means there will be some inconsistency, which was evident a week ago, when WHS played two scrimmage games at Duncan.
In that dress rehearsal, the Lady Eagles struggled against Bray-Doyle, which will be one of the area’s better small-school teams this season. However, Fitzgerald was pleased that her young club regrouped quickly in a scrimmage with Lawton High.
“I was so proud of the girls in the scrimmage,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve only worked a couple of weeks, but they’ve worked hard for me and you could see some good things.
“We lost to Bray-Doyle and we made several mistakes that you can’t make against a team like Bray. We were pretty nervous. But then we beat Lawton High and we were much more relaxed; having fun and doing good things.
“There’s a lot of talent out here, but a big thing with this young a team is going to be the ‘Three C’s’: confidence, composure and concentration. The young kids especially need confidence.
“Versus Bray-Doyle, we had the bases loaded with two outs in all four innings we played, but we couldn’t score. That’s where confidence comes in. You need to be like, ‘Yes, I love being in that situation.’ You have to go up to bat in that situation thinking, ‘I want to drive in those runs.’ But that’s going to take some time for the younger kids.
“You can’t have success without confidence, but you can’t have confidence without success. It’s the ‘chicken or the egg’ thing. And with young kids, their confidence is going to go up and down.”
Looking to assistant coach Joe Masoner to help in the growth process, Fitzgerald’s also turned to the fellow who helped her progress as a player; her father, Rocky Fitzgerald, has stepped in as a volunteer assistant.
The small roster means Waurika’s players will need to show some versatility. The tentative defensive lineup has Bryant catching, Lovett at first, Hall at second, Brandon at shortstop, Swift at third and an outfield of Kerchee, Gomez and Peeples.
Several in that group can play other positions, including Swift, who can spell Bryant behind the plate. In addition, Salazar will split time with Swift at third, while Clark and Davis will add depth in the outfield.
Defense will be a key, because Dennard is the only returning pitcher. The junior moves up from being the No. 2 hurler last season, “and when it comes to pitching, Kelsi is going to have to be our backbone,” Fitzgerald said.
Noting that Dennard is pleased to be in role that crucial in fastpitch softball, Fitzgerald said, “She’s going to have to stay as physically and mentally tough as she can. Staci and Andrea have pitched a little, so there’s a little relief, but there will be times Kelsi will just have to keep throwing.
“She has some movement on her pitches, which will help, and she’s throwing around the strike zone. But she’s not a power pitcher, so she’s going to have to get hitters to put the ball in play and let the defense finish for her.”
Offensively, the hot sticks will determine the order.
“Our hitting lineup will change daily, game to game,” Fitzgerald said. “Who’s been getting one, who’s been making things happen and who’s not — that will be what determines the order.
“If you’ve been producing, you’ll be in the heart of the order. But the thing about hitting is: everybody goes through a slump sometime. So, the line-up will change a lot.”
