Rylee Shappell fuels high expectations for Triton softball this spring

Tom McGurk, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·4 min read
Triton's Rylee Shappell connects for a single during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.
Triton's Rylee Shappell connects for a single during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.

RUNNEMEDE – Rylee Shappell doesn’t look like a typical power hitter.

And she doesn’t hit in a normal slugger’s spot in the lineup.

However, watch the leadoff hitter swing and listen to the sound the ball makes off her bat, and it’s clear this Mustang produces enough octane to rev up a V8 engine.

After slugging a team-best nine homers last season, Shappell homered in her first at-bat of the season on Monday. She collected another hit on Wednesday as the Triton Regional High School softball team chalked up its first win of the season with an 8-5 triumph over school district rival Timber Creek.

“Everything she does is very fundamentally sound,” Triton head coach Kristi Twardziak said. “She uses her whole body when she swings, really utilizes her lower half to help generate her power.

“We try to get her to the plate as many times as possible and that’s why she’s our leadoff hitter. Whether it’s a homer run, double, single, she always puts good swings together.”

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Few swung a more productive bat than Shappell last season. She batted .500 with 38 hits, including 21 for extra-bases, and 23 RBIs.

Triton's Rylee Shappell bats during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.
Triton's Rylee Shappell bats during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.

“It’s a mixture of everything,” the 5-foot-7 Shappell said about her strong swing. “I’m not too muscular, but I do have power and I think my swing is pretty solid. And I have fast hands. I’m just looking to hit the ball hard and get some runs in.”

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What has been tougher to fight off than a 3-2 changeup for Shappell is stress she feels to produce an even bigger encore performance.

“I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself because of the season I had last season,” the Runnemede native said. “I want to have an even bigger season.”

Shappell is a difference maker with a glove, too. While she’s a centerfielder for her club team, the New Jersey Gators, Shappell answered the call to play shortstop for the Mustangs. She showed off her athleticism with a nice running in short center field as well as completing the final play against Timber Creek.

“It was a quick ‘Yes’ when (Coach Twardziak) asked about moving to short,” said Shappell, who wants to play at the collegiate level, but hasn’t selected a school yet.. “I do like playing there.”

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Triton's Danielle Procopio, right, hugs teammate Riley Mikiewicz after Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5, in the softball game played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
Triton's Danielle Procopio, right, hugs teammate Riley Mikiewicz after Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5, in the softball game played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

Cleaning up

After eight miscues helped seal its fate in a season-opening loss to Delsea, Triton cleaned up its defense against Timber Creek.

While the Mustangs still committed three errors in the first three frames, better defense down the stretch helped secure the win.

“We looked like a completely different team over those last few innings,” Twardziak said. “We really settled in. We made the plays we were supposed to make and made a few plays maybe we weren’t supposed to make and that was the difference.”

Triton starter Danielle Procopio, a Penn State-Abington commit, tossed one of her best games, striking out a career-high 12 while yielding three hits and two earned runs.

“We’re hungry this season, very, very hungry,” said the Glendora native, who wants to study criminal justice and follow in her family’s public safety tradition. “It’s about us having confidence. Most of us have been playing together for three years now.”

Triton has its sights on a winning season, which would be its first since 2017.

Triton's Danielle Procopio delivers a pitch during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.
Triton's Danielle Procopio delivers a pitch during the softball game between Triton and Timber Creek played at Triton High School on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Triton defeated Timber Creek, 8-5.

Game notes

Triton (1-1) overcame a 5-4 deficit with a four-run, sixth inning. Alyssa Cepero tied the game with a run-scoring single before Reese Kuni and Procopio followed with RBI doubles. Camyrn Graves capped the rally with an RBI single.

“It was a really important game for us,” Twardziak said. “An 0-2 record looks a lot different than 1-1, so getting the win was important for us going forward.”

Devin Brandley and Rebecca Dougherty had RBI hits for the Chargers (0-2).

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Rylee Shappell packs plenty of punch for Triton softball