Watkins Memorial softball reloads, resumes for pursuit of OHSAA title
PATASKALA ― Taylor Gerhardt’s swing appeared to be in midseason form for the Watkins Memorial softball team Thursday.
The senior leadoff hitter tripled off the top of fence in right-center in the third inning. She later easily cleared the fence in left-center for a home run in fifth inning, highlighting the Warriors’ 9-5 victory against visiting Olentangy Orange in a scrimmage.
“I hit well, and so did the rest of the team,” Gerhardt said. “It was coming hard off the bats. The pitching was a good speed for us.”
While it was not all smooth sailing for Watkins on Thursday, the Warriors, the two-time reigning Division I regional champions, showed the combination of the elite talent and promising depth against the Pioneers, a 2022 district runner-up, needed to make another run into June.
Watkins, which recently was ranked No. 11 nationally by USA Today and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, reached the state final in 2021, losing 1-0 to Massillon Perry. The Warriors were knocked off by Holland Springfield in the semifinals last season, and it has been a long but productive offseason as they waited for an opportunity to make amends.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Gerhardt said. “We had open fields every week and were in the weight room a whole bunch. Shifting from the offseason to real practices is easy. We put it in the work, and it’s showing.”
Watkins is led by the All-Ohio junior battery of Carsyn Cassady, who struck out nine Orange batters in four one-hit innings, and Jordyn Wycuff, who opened Watkins’ scoring in the first inning with a triple down the left-field line and continued home when the throw from the outfield was errant.
The Warriors are ignited by Gerhardt, who mixed an impressive combination of power and speed last season with 15 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases, and junior Ava McKee, a Bishop Hartley transfer. Sophomore Maleya Thompson, who is one of the candidates to replace graduated All-Ohioan Hannah Hunt at shortstop, and seniors McKayla Jellison and Christina Kilkenny protect Wycuff.
“We can’t expect anything. We still have to earn it again,” Jellison said. “We have 16 solid girls who are all working hard, and it’s showing. It comes from within us. It’s not just our skill but our connection with each other and playing together and not just for ourselves.”
Watkins was not perfect Thursday, but the Warriors quickly atoned for their mistakes. A walk and an error led to Orange’s first run on senior Kensi Steele’s double in the top of the first, but the inning ended when Gerhardt started and Wycuff finished a perfect relay from deep right-center to the plate.
The Warriors aside from Gerhardt were kept off-balance by Orange’s pitchers ― senior Anna Wilming, a Valparaiso commitment, and sophomore Gauri Naik ― until the offense broke out in the sixth inning as five players recorded RBI.
“We don’t want to peak too early,” Watkins coach Mike Jellison said. “The pitchers are always ahead this time of year. Our timing’s off, so we just have to be a little bit better at the plate. We have some younger kids in spots, and we just have to get them up to speed.”
Sophomore Kendal Tellings relieved Cassady and threw three innings. She struck out two and also started a 1-6-3 double play.
Junior Cortney Dobbs had two hits and an RBI to match Gerhardt, and Tellings added an RBI hit. The bench brigade did the rest as seniors Emily Lipscomb and Breanna Gullett and sophomore Carlie Taggart each had run-scoring hits with Taggart’s plugging the left-center gap for a double.
“I have probably 20 kids that could start on other teams in in our league, so we have a lot of depth and competition in practice,” said Mike Jellison, whose team will open the regular season at Disney World’s Wide World of Sports at the end of March. “What’s different is they are all together. They are not picking and fighting about who’s getting to play. Everyone is going to get fed. Everyone is going to get to eat.”
It is the type of depth that will keep the Warriors hungry during the regular season and in contention during future seasons. It is the balance of living in the present and dreaming of what is ahead that the Warriors hope takes them to the top.
“You have to enjoy the moment and don’t take it for granted,” Gerhardt said. “That is something I have done in the past. I have to have fun with it.”
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