Thomas Worthington Cardinals’ Saadielys Masonet brings joy to softball

Senior Saadielys Masonet was certainly a standout on the field. But her smile and occasional practical jokes broke up the tension of a long season for the Thomas Worthington softball team.

“She’s the kid that keeps everybody loose and keeps everybody laughing and keeps everybody in a loose mind frame. That way we don’t take the game too seriously,” coach Patrick Finn said.

Masonet is known to sing into a dandelion at times. So, a couple of weeks before the season ended, she got Finn to join her only to shove the flower into his mouth after a few bars.

“I did not think he was going to fall for that,” Masonet said. “He started singing with me. It was my time to shine, so I put it in his mouth.”

Finn doesn’t mind the occasional practical joke at his expense because Masonet brings joy to the game.

“It takes a special type of player to do that to the head coach and get away with it,” he said. “She has that type of humor about here where you can’t help yourself but laugh.”

Masonet, a third baseman, led the Cardinals with a .446 batting average. She had 21 RBI, 21 runs, six doubles, one triple and four home runs.

When Finn was an assistant coach at Olentangy Berlin, he noticed Masonet, who then was a freshman playing shortstop.

“She just had a lot of athleticism,” Finn said. “She stood out to me defensively with her arm strength. Once I got in here and started coaching – I’ve had some good third basemen – (but) she’s probably the best third baseman I’ve ever coached. She’s fearless over there in the hot corner.”

Masonet also moved around the batting order. She was walked 18 times this spring, prompting Finn to move her to the leadoff spot late in the season.

“I started screaming (when he told me),” Masonet said. “I thought I was going to pass out. I’ve never been a leadoff (hitter). It made me a little nervous knowing that. But within a few games ... it was exciting. The first thing (Finn) told me was, ‘You’re not stealing bases.’ ”

Masonet, who is from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, played baseball and then slow-pitch softball growing up.

“I was scared at first because I didn’t know girls could play softball,” she said. “It was slow-pitch, but when I moved to the U.S., I started to play fast-pitch. That’s when I really fell in love with the game.”

Masonet, who has committed to Ohio Dominican and will pursue a degree in biology, didn’t know any English at first.

“I had to learn it quick because I love talking to people and making friends,” she said. “I kind of struggled at the beginning, but I was fine because I always like talking to people.

“I played first base and pitcher in baseball. In softball, I started playing third. It gave me a really good feeling playing third, making big plays and getting everybody excited.”

Thomas, which was seeded 30th for the Division I district tournament, finished 8-13 with a 10-0 loss in six innings at 10th-seeded Delaware on May 12.

In the first round May 10, the host Cardinals beat 32nd-seeded Whetstone 10-0 in six innings.

Thomas went just 3-17 in 2019 but has made strides the last couple of seasons, including a 13-12 finish last year.

“The mindset has changed,” Finn said. “They went in expecting to lose games (in 2019) to now expecting to compete in games. Even though we didn’t have the success that we wanted to this year, I still believe (we) came in ready to fight every single game.”

Junior Faith Yoho batted .429 with 14 RBI, eight doubles, one triple and one home run and went 8-9 with a 5.81 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 94 innings as the primary pitcher.

The Cardinals have to replace their outfield in Olivia Ankrom, Alyssa Mannello and Sophia Rond as well as catcher Emma McNeilly.

The infield was young, though, featuring freshmen Sophie Newsome (1B) and Katie Niven (SS) and sophomore Gracelyn Schmidt (2B).

“I built so many relationships with everyone,” Masonet said. “As a leader, I loved including everyone. I was close to every single one of teammates. I have so much love for every one of my teammates that (the season ending) made me sad. (It was) my last time in a game (at Thomas). I’m still crying.”

•Kilbourne coach Ashley Daugherty has reasons to be optimistic even after the Wolves finished 5-14 with a 14-10 loss at Big Walnut on May 10 in the first round of the Division I district tournament.

The game was a microcosm of the season. Kilbourne, seeded 38th, jumped out fast and led 6-1 after an inning and a half.

Even after 37th-seeded Big Walnut took control with a seven-run fifth, Kilbourne showed fight. Junior shortstop Brynlee Rung hit a two-run home run in the sixth and junior outfielder Sara Dale connected for a solo homer in the seventh.

“We definitely had some highs and lows,” Daugherty said. “Our goal was to just get 1% better every day and I think we did that. We were kind of young in all areas.”

The Wolves had only two seniors in Sutton Evans (1B) and Yurika Palmer (OF). But they also got production out of a pair of freshmen in Becca Boue and Josie Janosy.

Boue handled the bulk of the pitching duties, tossing 83 innings.

“She stood her ground (in the circle) as a freshman,” Daugherty said. “She knows there’s still a lot more she needs to learn. As a freshman, I think she did a phenomenal job. The thing she’s got to get used to is the change of pace in a game.”

Daugherty spent the season trying to find a natural position for Janosy, who played third base before ultimately settling in at second. She hit .431 with 17 RBI, eight runs, two doubles and one triple.

“We were trying to find where she was comfortable playing,” Daugherty said. “I think we found her spot. She really feels comfortable playing second base; she played there with her summer ball team. It’s looking like (she has) a bright future there.”

Junior catcher Yvonne Wang had a .977 fielding percentage in 130 total chances and a team-leading .500 batting average. She also had 14 stolen bases, 22 runs, 15 RBI, five doubles, one triple and one home run.

“She has improved tremendously over the past year,” Daugherty said. “She put in a lot of work in the offseason and she’s been a rock star this year.”

Dale batted .450 with 18 runs, seven RBI, six doubles, one triple and two homers, and Rung hit .393 with 24 runs, 15 RBI, six doubles, two triples and two homers.

“There will be four that will be seniors next year (along with outfielder/pitcher Meena Lee),” Daugherty said. “They’ve had a lot of varsity experience and they continue to grow every single year, stats-wise and as overall team players.”

mrich@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekRich

KILBOURNE

•Record: 5-14 overall

•OCC-Capital standings: Westerville North (14-0), Delaware (12-2), Dublin Scioto (8-6), Canal Winchester (7-7), Westerville South (6-8), Big Walnut (5-9), Kilbourne (4-10), Franklin Heights (0-14)

•Seniors lost: Sutton Evans and Yurika Palmer

•Key returnees: Becca Boue, Sara Dale, Josie Janosy, Meena Lee, Brynlee Rung and Yvonne Wang

•Postseason: Lost to Big Walnut 14-10 in first round of Division I district tournament

THOMAS

•Record: 8-13 overall

•OCC-Cardinal standings: Marysville (9-1), Olentangy Berlin (8-2), Olentangy (6-4), Dublin Jerome (4-6), Thomas (2-8), Hilliard Darby (1-9)

•Seniors lost: Olivia Ankrom, Alyssa Mannello, Saadielys Masonet, Emma McNeilly and Sophia Rond

•Key returnees: Katie Niven, Kaelynn Lloyd, Sophie Newsom, Gracelyn Schmidt and Faith Yoho

•Postseason: Def. Whetstone 10-0 (6 innings); lost to Delaware 10-0 (6 innings) in second round of Division I district tournament

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Thomas Worthington’s Masonet brings joy to softball