Fall Sports Preview: Worth County Softball

JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Worth County softball: front from left; Rayleigh Smith, Rylee Ruckman, Riley Ridge; back; Keira Hardy, Megan Tracy, Kambree Briner, Kristen Tracy, Kennedy Murphy, Audrey Runde and Addie Gray.

Worth County softball comes into this season with an interesting dynamic. The Tigers have nearly the smallest roster possible to field a team with only 10 players, but at the same time, they are easily one of the deepest teams in the area with their top eight hitters back from last season.

That’s the balance coach Cody Green has struck with this year’s club —after winning 12 games last season without a senior on the roster. Green believes that this group actually has 10 starters with senior Rayleigh Smith and freshman Kennedy Murphy both capable of playing right field and contributing offensively.

“There is a lot of excitement,” Green said. “Just being back and ready to go, practices have been a lot of fun because of that. Nobody is regretting being here. They are all looking forward to what they know they can do and what they had last year. That brings a lot of excitement.

“… We are just trying to work on who is going to fill that spot, but it also leaves the door open to having one play the field and one hitting. That is the nice part. You can have 10 starters in this game. It is a good possibility that could happen.”

Smith returns as part of a 3-person senior class — herself, Rylee Ruckman and Riley Ridge — for the Tigers who were thrown into the fire last season as the only upperclassmen on the team.

“It feels great,” Smith said of sharing her senior season with Ridge and Ruckman. “I’ve been with them all my years playing with them. … We are just going to keep working.”

Ridge took over in center field last season and was quickly elevated to the leadoff spot in the Tiger order with her speed being a catalyst both offensively and defensively.

“I’m really confident out in center field,” Ridge said. “I love it. When I was in junior high, I was always at third base and then (former coach) Tiffany Bliley brought me out to center field. I hated her for it, but now I love it. That is my spot and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Ridge is a slap hitter from the top of the lineup last season and joked that one of her goals this year is to be allowed to hit right-handed in a game. But the slapping has worked well for Ridge who stars on the Tiger track team in spring. Last season, she hit .448 with a .471 on-base percentage.

“I’m excited,” Ridge said. “I’ve waited since like tee-ball to be a senior, be the big kid out on the field. I’m excited and it is going to a good season.”

Behind Ridge in the batting order is the only Tiger hitter who exceeded her batting average last season with junior Kambree Briner. The second baseman put up a .466 batting average while reaching base in over half of her plate appearances (.512).

Junior Kristen Tracy was the Tigers’ workhorse in the pitching circle last season and their No. 3 hitter all year. As the pitcher, she threw 108 innings in 18 games, registering a 3.57 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 76 walks.

“We’ve really been working on accuracy with her and making sure that we can get strikes when we need them,” Green said. “We’ve been really pushing her to step that up in her game. It was a lot to take on early on, so now we have time to kind of tweak and finesse some of those areas that she needed to work on.”

At the plate, Tracy hit .423 with a .481 on-base percentage, eight doubles and two triples.

The middle of the lineup featured a pair of freshmen who now return as sophomores with the year of experience behind them.

Audrey Runde stepped into a leadership role as a freshman in every sport she competed in — a point guard in basketball and the most accomplished thrower on the track team. It was no different in softball as she became the team’s catcher and cleanup hitter.

“We trust her 100% to be back there,” Green said. “With her head, she has a great knowledge of the game.”

Runde hit .384 with a .430 on-base percentage, 22 runs scored and 17 RBI.

Megan Tracy hit in the five spot and was even more productive as a freshman with a team high 27 RBI to go with 18 runs scored. The first baseman hit .413, giving the Tigers four hitters hitting over .410.

With the younger Tracy becoming a sophomore, Green is hoping that she is able to take some pressure off her sister in the pitching department and switch her spots some this season. Last season, Megan Tracy threw 21 1/3 innings with a 4.59 ERA.

“Hopefully (Megan) can step up and take some innings away from (Kristen) and that way they can share the load a little bit more this year,” Green said. “That way it is not as much pressure, and wear and tear on one person’s arm.”

The top half of the lineup certainly doesn’t lack for athleticism, but the 6-7-8 hitters are where the Tigers really created some havoc on the bases.

“When you get a team that can run, but not only run, but knows the game well enough to know when they need to move up,” Green said. “They are looking for that opportunity and not just sitting back and letting the game happen in front of them. They are ready to move. They are ready to be a part of it.”

Junior left fielder Addie Gray settled into the No. 6 spot in the lineup last season and hit .338 with a .419 on-base percentage. She finished with 16 stolen bases — second on the team behind Ridge’s 20.

Ruckman moved from the outfield to the dirt last season and gave the team a steady leader at shortstop. After hitting .444 as a sophomore, her average dipped to .235 last season.

“I’m comfortable,” Ruckman said. “We had last year and that was just our year to work everything out and get everyone familiar with everything and working together. I think that we definitely did that, so coming into Year 2 with the same exact group of girls and everyone pretty much being in the same positions — our comfort is there and now it is just about our confidence building.”

Ruckman’s value on the team defensively and on the basepaths — finishing third in stolen bases — was still felt though as she eyes a bounceback year at the plate.

“We aren’t at square one,” Ruckman said of her team. “We are at a high level and now we are just building up higher.

“I have goals, but honestly, I just want to go as far as we can — not only because it is my senior year, but this is my last year out here with the girls. Last year, we made it pretty far and we built a lot last year. Now, we just gotta keep going.”

The lineup’s quickest runner filled the No. 8 spot last season with third baseman Keira Hardy. The junior was on the state runner-up 4×100-meter relay last season, along with Smith.

The Tigers ended last season with a sour taste in their mouths, falling 7-6 to Albany in the district semifinal despite out-hitting the Warriors 11-5. With the lineup the Tigers have returning, they are determined to make a deeper postseason run this year.

“Last year was an upsetting end to it, but we got three seniors this year, so we got to go out with a bang,” Ridge said.

Worth County opens the season on Thursday at Trenton.

“It is emotional being out here,” Ruckman said of being a senior. “I’m just cherishing every last moment with my girls honestly.”