Western softball team clicking on all facets, runs out to 17-2 start to the season
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Parma — Tonya Bassett is being spoiled right now, and she knows it.
The Western softball coach has a pair of dominant pitchers, a defense holding its own, and an offense slugging roughly 12 runs every time out.
The result so far is a 17-2 overall record as of Sunday night, and a team taking aim at some lofty goals moving forward.
“We’re really building on last year,” Bassett said. The Panthers were 25-14 in 2015. “We have a lot of returning girls, and we’re playing exceptionally well right now.”
And, as is usually the case come spring time success, most of that winning starts with the efforts coming from the circle.
Taylor Nichols is half of a dominant duo of pitching for Panthers, and in her most recent effort this weekend, earned the win in a 3-1 decision against Quincy in which she struck out 18 batters and allowed one hit.
The lone hit prevented what could have been her fourth no-hitter of the season.
And then there’s junior Kortney Jones, who improved to 8-0 on the year Saturday with an 11-strike out effort in an 11-1 victory against Kalamazoo Central.
Most dominant softball teams at the high school level have that one, dominant arm leading the way.
Asked what it’s like to have the one-two punch of Jones and Nichols, Bassett laughed.
“It’s awesome,” she said. “I haven’t had two, solid pitchers like this in a long, long time. It’s very helpful as a coach. It allows the offense to be confident no matter who’s throwing. … They keep hitters off balance. And the thing is, they work so well as a team. They support one another every time out.”
As for that offense, well, it’s humming right along with the 12-run-per-game average.
“These girls put a lot of time in during the offseason,” Bassett said. “Everyone is swining the bat real well right now.”
The 17 wins also includes a 7-1 mark in the I-8 Conference, tied atop the standings with Coldwater.
A conference title remains the team’s top priority, “especially after letting it slip away at the end of last year,” Bassett noted.
Beyond that, the skipper spoke of a tough district, and the thought her team will have as good a chance as any to compete for a spot in the regional.
And, as is the case with most teams, Bassett was quick to note the senior leadership the team has gotten from Gianna Mason and Zoe Cooper.
“They are huge for us,” she said. “That kind of leadership is what you need to be successful. They have a way of keeping this group working hard, but loose and light.”
In other words, pitching, offense, defense and chemistry are clicking right now for the Panthers.
And the wins are there to prove it.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.
Visit http://lovedefinedbook.weebly.com for more information.
