Prep softball: State champs embracing new look
Jun. 17—FAIRFIELD — The ceremonies and celebrations have been nice over the past year.
Albia head softball coach Darren Hill, however, isn't focusing on the historic accolades achieved last summer by the Lady Dees. In some ways, that would be unfair to a 2021 squad that looks a lot different than the team that celebrated in the middle of the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex after a 1-0 win over Williamsburg in the 2020 Class 3A state softball title game.
The new-look Lady Dees, however, are also out to prove that the 2021 softball season will be far from a rebuilding year despite losing seven seniors from the program's first state championship squad. The latest example of that came on Tuesday as 12th-ranked Albia avenged their only loss from last summer, winning 7-2 over a fifth-ranked Fairfield squad that has many returning players from a team that lost just two games last summer while qualifying for the 4A state softball tournament.
"I know they only lost one player from last year, which was their pitcher (Allison Rebling), so they've got a team will eight starting position players from a state tournament team back this year," Hill said of Fairfield. "That's huge for Albia softball this year."
Albia (9-4) did have the advantage in the pitching circle as Mackenna Jones, who has won a regional championship game in relief for the Lady Dees back in 2019 and brought in the winning run in last year's regional final against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont at the plate. Jones simply found the strike zone with more consistency than Fairfield sophomore hurler Coty Engle, who did rack up 12 strikeouts for the Trojans compared to just six strikeouts for Jones.
The difference in the game, however, came down to how many free bases each team received. Jones let her defense do the work behind her, issuing just three walks in seven innings, while Albia batters drew 10 walks off Engle.
"We talked in the second inning that everything was up in our eyes, so if we swing at those pitches, we're going to strike out," Hill said. "Engle made us look pretty foolish at times, but I think as the game went along we got more disciplined at the plate. If get some walks and you throw in a bunt or two that forces a mistake by the defense, you put the pressure on and give your kids a chance to come up with some big hits."
It didn't take long for one of Albia's new faces to deliver a big hit on Tuesday against the Trojans. Ashley Beary stepped up to the plate as just the second batter of the game and hammered her second home run of the season, giving Albia a sudden 1-0 lead.
"We always try to start off strong hitting and getting runners in. It makes the game easier for Mackenna and our defense to finish it off," Beary said. "I was just looking to get on base. When I hit it, I thought it might be a pop out. When I got around first base, I saw it go over. It felt good to get that first run in and get the rest of the girls up to start hitting. Everyone just takes off from there."
Aliya Myers took advantage of the first walk issued by Engle, driving in Lauren Bayer on an infield single to put Albia up 2-0. Bayer, one of three returning starters from last year's state championship team, would draw three walks off Engle while Beary walked twice after her first-inning homer.
"I tried to take the first pitch every time I went to the plate. I got three balls right away in that first at-bat and it was more of the same in my second at-bat," Beary said. "You just had to pick your pitch. She had a riseball that she threw, so you be selective in which pitches you swung at."
That poise and execution has helped Albia, in some ways, exceed expectations after losing so much talent from last year's state championship team. The Lady Dees have given themselves a chance to win all 13 games so far this season, losing twice by a single run to Pella Christian and Oskaloosa, once in a 3-1 SCC duel with 12-win Davis County and dropping a 9-5 contest at No. 5 (1A) Lynnville-Sully in a game that Lady Dees led 5-3 after five innings.
"The only difference this year is the amount of time that this team has played together. Both this team and last year's team have a lot of talent. If we had played together as long as last year's team had played together, there's no doubt in my mind that we'd be undefeated right now," Jones said. "We didn't know at the beginning of the season how things would go. I'm really proud of this team. We've come a long way and we're gelling really well.
"It's nice to go out there and prove a point against other teams. There might be teams have a little more confidence facing us this year. It's nice to go out and defeat those teams because that's not how it is at all. We're a really good team, we always have been and we plan to keep it that way throughout this season."
— Scott Jackson can be reached at sjackson@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter@CourierScott.
