Hannah Beatus, Morgan Wagner hoping to power GVSU softball back to College World Series

ALLENDALE — When Hannah Beatus stepped out of the circle for the final time last season, she was sad, frustrated and a range of other emotions as Grand Valley's season ended games away from a national title.

The then-redshirt sophomore had just tossed the worst game of her All-American campaign, giving up 17 hits and 11 earned runs to Augustana in the College World Series. She's kept that memory in the back of her head, using it as fuel to the fire for her junior year and if you ask anybody who's stepped to the plate against her this year, that memory has certainly helped.

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She's the clear ace for the Lakers staff, throwing 137 2/3 innings this year while only allowing 16 earned runs and has earned GLIAC Pitcher of the Year honors and likely put together another All-American season. Her command has helped lead GVSU to a 40-6 record, a GLIAC title and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which starts Thursday afternoon when the Lakers take on Ohio Dominican in Indianapolis.

She's not doing it alone though. After all, a pitcher needs somebody to catch the ball. But junior Morgan Wagner does a whole lot more than just that, she's one of the few college catchers in the country that calls every pitch herself. It took Beatus a bit to get used to last season, which was their first as battery mates, but this year their connection has gone to a whole new level.

"We clicked last year, but I think this year the pressure is just less and we're handling it a little bit better," Beatus said. "We're working to get better every day at practice and it's just having that little extra experience too."

Experience is definitely not something that these two lack. Despite both being juniors, Wagner has been in college for four years and Beatus is in the middle of her fifth college campaign. The COVID pandemic wiped out the majority of the 2020 season for each of them, and Beatus had injury troubles in her hand throughout her sophomore season, ending her 2019 at the beginning of March.

Despite only having played as many games as normal college juniors, they have a maturity level that most people in their class typically don't possess. They're able to operate on a higher level than most any pitcher and catcher combination in the nation because of the adversity that came with going through COVID and injuries as a pair. They know not to take anything for granted and do as much work to get better each time they take the field.

That partnership the two have makes them efficient and lethal, but there's more to it than just that. When the other pitchers on the staff see how hard they work together, it forces them to want to work as hard and aim to accomplish all that Beatus has already.

"Just watching Hannah in practice has definitely rubbed off on our other pitchers," said GVSUcoach Dana Callihan. "They want to be like her and they want to have the same success and it just snowballs throughout the rest of the roster from there."

The constant work between the two has certainly made them more than just inspiration for their teammates. It's made them a formidable force from a physical standpoint. Stepping into the box against Beatus is a daunting task because of how well she commands all of her pitches, whether it's a fastball, changeup or anything else in her arsenal. Where these two really dominate is the mental game, though.

Because of the trust that the two juniors have in each other, they're able to attack batters in the way most pitchers and catchers would be skeptical of. Full count, bases loaded in a one-run game, they're not calling for the heater like a batter would expect, she's calling a changeup.

Wagner loves playing mind games with the hitter because she knows the woman throwing her the ball will put it right where it needs to be virtually every time. Keeping hitters off-balanced

"Batters just don't know what she's going to throw and that's what makes it so hard, we don't throw the same combinations all the time, we're always mixing it up," Wagner said. "We'll throw three, four or even five changeups in a row because who expects that? We don't care, we'll do it and we're always keeping the hitter on their toes."

They're hoping those mind games will be able to help take the Lakers to the College World Series for the third straight season. Getting to Denver is the goal for all Division II softball teams at the start of each season but after two straight years of ending up there, the team is hoping for something more.

They're not looking past Ohio Dominican at all, they know that if they are fortunate enough to get back to the Mile High City they'll need to take their game up to a new level. It's not enough just to get there for the third straight year, they want to win that elusive final game of the season and come home as champions.

They're setting the standard of excellence in everything that they do within the team. As long as they embrace that mentality, then Beatus hopes the season will end how they've envisioned.

"Be the standard, that's what we're trying to be every day," Beatus said. "We know that whatever goals we have in mind, as long as we're working toward those goals every single day then those things are going to happen and fall into place for us."

As for that feeling she had nearly a year ago against Augustana, it's not wasting away somewhere in the back of her mind now. That memory horrifying memory has pushed her and Wagner every single day.

They don't plan on going out like that this time around.

"I genuinely think about that game every day while throwing my bullpens," Beatus said. "You remember those feelings you had, you remember the result and you use that to push yourself, knowing you never want that feeling again."

—Contact Assistant Sports Editor Will Kennedy at Will.Kennedy@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByWillKennedy and Facebook @Holland Sentinel Sports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Beatus, Wagner hoping to power GVSU softball to College World Series