MILLBURY — Lake softball has 10 letter winners returning from a team that went 17-8 overall last year, including 8-6 in the Northern Buckeye Conference for 16th-year coach Dave Rymers (205-191).
“Our goal is to improve every day,” Rymers said. “This season will be about growth and moving forward To be successful, we need to make the routine plays defensively, throw strikes and have productive at-bats.
“Our league will be ultra-competitive. There is a lot of talent that will require us to play high level softball each night in order to be competitive and win games.”
Rymers says the team’s strengths include “experience, passion and athleticism,” but he wants to see better “game to game consistency” and says the team needs more pitching depth.”
Seven of the top eight players are still underclassmen this season, led by junior Kali Bedford, who was a first team All-NBC utility player and honorable mention pitcher. She batted .489 with 25 RBIs, 15 doubles, and one home run, and in the circle went 17-8 with 137 strikeouts and a 3.04 ERA.
In the circle, Rymers says Bedford brings “experience, competitiveness, and a solid “mental approach.”
Bedford pitched a five-hit shutout as Lake defeated Delta, 8-0, on Monday behind a 17-hit offensive attack by the Flyers. Bedford struck out 11, walked three, and threw 108 pitches, including 74 for strikes, to 29 batters. Bedford was also 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.
Lake is 1-1, opening the season by losing to Gibsonburg, 12-5, indoors at the TOCA complex in Rossford last Saturday.
Bedford is joined by junior shortstop Diem Isbell, who has already committed to playing NCAA Division I college softball at Detroit Mercy. Isbell batted .374 with 18 RBIs, 10 doubles, one triple and one home run last year. In Monday’s win over Delta, Isbell was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
Also returning are junior second baseman Sarah Patrick (.365 BA, 16 RBIs, 8 XBH) returns at second base, senior center fielder Alivia King (.291 BA, 20 RBIs, 3 XBH), junior outfielder Ellie Rymers (.217 BA, 4 RBIs, 2 XBH, .474 OBP), sophomore utility player Sophie Gruetter (.243 BA, 11 RBIs, 6 XBH), junior catcher Kylee Pietrzak (.203 BA, 12 RBIs, 3 2B), and junior outfielder Addison Boehm (.230 BA, 14 RBIs, 4 2B).
Gruetter was 2-for-4 with two RBIs Monday, King had a double and RBI, and Pietrzak, Boehm and Ellie Rymers had base hits.
Isbell, Patrick, King, Rymers, Gruetter, and Pietrzak were all HM All-NBC selections a year ago. Coach Rymers expects Bedford, Isbell, Patrick and King to return as his top hitters because of their ability to zone in on “pitch selection” and their “mechanics, timing, and mental approach).
Coach Rymers says multi-year starters Isbell, Patrick, and King are his top fielders because of their “athleticism and great range.” Others are showing major improvement from last year.
“Gruetter, Rymers, Pietrzak and Boehm have all had really good preseasons,” Rymers said. “Looking for each of them to take another step this year.”
Rymers says freshmen Alyna Meadows, Lucy Boos, Maddison Ankney and Sophia Rudey “all have a chance to be impact players.” Boos was 4-for-4 Monday with an RBI and Meadows was 2-for-5.
