Ervin wants to take Spartans to new heights
May 16—Barring her freshman season — a time like no other, when all spring sports were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic — Josi Ervin has tasted nothing but success during her softball career at Greenbrier East.
The Spartans senior is a two-time all-stater and, as of one and a half weeks ago, has helped lead the team to three sectional championships in as many tries.
All that is special, but there's still a goal left unattained.
"It's very rewarding, but, while sectional champions is nice, we would love to be regional champions and then go to states for the first time in school history," Ervin admitted Tuesday evening.
Ervin will get her last shot to do that starting Wednesday — finally — when the Spartans (23-5) host George Washington in Game 1 of the best-of-3 Class AAA Region 3 championship series. First pitch from Fairlea will be 6 p.m.
The weather forecast looks promising for the rest of the week after rain postponed all three Region 3 openers on Monday and Tuesday. Game 2 will change sites on Thursday and all Game 3s, if necessary, will return to the site of Game 1.
"We're here in front of our home crowd. We normally have a big crowd and, as a team, I think we feed off that," Ervin said. "We really thrive off the energy from the crowd. So it's pretty big having that first game here."
Having Ervin in the circle has been pretty big, as well.
The left-hander carries a 15-4 record and 0.91 earned run average into the series. Of her 18 starts, 13 have ended in complete games. She has 165 strikeouts to 25 walks in 108 innings pitched.
Opponents are hitting .148 against her.
Even though her freshman season was ripped away, Ervin still had lots of travel experience with her current teammates, always making her seem like a veteran presence.
"Obviously when you get a four-year pitcher into the program it means a lot," said Aaron Ambler, in his sixth season as the Spartans head coach.
"The stability, and the girls knowing when she's on the mound, everyone plays with more confidence. They're used to having her in front of them and she's used to having them behind her to play defense. It helps a lot confidence-wise, I think."
Ervin is led by a combination of technique and having a strong cerebral approach to the game she has been playing since the age of 10.
"She does well controlling the ball and knowing what to throw to what girl usually in (a given) situation," Ambler said. "She's thrown a lot of pitches, a lot of innings under her belt here and it shows. She's a mature senior."
"I think placement and being able to spin the ball, knowing my hitters. Where they like it, where they don't, what they've done in previous at-bats," said Ervin, who will go on to play at Concord University. "Just being smart with certain batters in the box. Putting the ball where (assistant coach Jim) Honaker tells me to."
Being left-handed doesn't hurt.
"I think it's definitely an advantage, especially when you face right-handed batters most of the time," Ervin said. "But it's also nice on a left-handed batter, because I know me personally, as a left-handed batter I do not like facing left-handed pitchers.
"With the right-handed batters, you can keep the ball away a lot easier. I think it's difficult for a right-handed batter to read that, especially if I'm throwing, like, a screwball. It looks like it's over the plate and then it spins out and that's harder for them to see."
"You certainly, at least here, in high school softball don't see as many lefties as you do right-handers. Probably anywhere," Ambler said. "It's coming from a different side of the body, a lot of times a different side of the plate depending on how she's pitching them."
Ervin is also third on the team with a .368 batting average. The leadoff hitter has eight doubles and has scored 33 runs.
Senior third baseman Lindsey Black is the team's top hitter at .473 and is tied with Ervin with a .505 on-base percentage. She has also scored 36 runs and is slugging .670.
Junior shortstop Taylor Boswell leads the way with five home runs, 10 doubles, 40 runs batted in and a .723 slugging percentage.
The Spartans split with George Washington (19-10) in the regular season, each team winning on its home field. The Patriots took down No. 1 seed and two-time Region 3 champion St. Albans in the Section 1 tournament.
"I think we have a good chance," Ervin said. "They have some big bats and they have a pretty solid defense, so it's making the plays that we shouldn't be but also making the plays that we should be, and just hitting the ball where they're not. When we went down there we hit a lot of balls at them. We were putting the ball in play, we were just hitting the ball to them. So just keep putting the ball in play and it will fall, and we'll get some runs.
"Making those plays in the field. Not committing errors, and when we do, not getting down. Just keep playing."
The series champion will advance to the state tournament May 24-25 at Little Creek Park in South Charleston.
Region 3 Softball
all games 6 p.m.
Class A: James Monroe vs. Greenbrier West, at Western Greenbrier MS
Class AA: Bluefield at Independence
Class AAA: George Washington at Greenbrier East
Sectional Baseball
Class A Region 3, Section 2 championship
Greater Beckley Christian at James Monroe, 5 p.m.
Wednesday's Area Schedule
Region 3 Softball
all games 6 p.m.
Class A: James Monroe vs. Greenbrier West, at Western Greenbrier MS
Class AA: Bluefield at Independence
Class AAA: George Washington at Greenbrier East
Sectional Baseball
Class A Region 3, Section 2 championship
Greater Beckley Christian at James Monroe, 5 p.m.
