This Smethport team wasn’t supposed to be as good as last year’s team.
The Lady Hubbers heard that message loud and clear in the weeks leading up to the 2015 season — and they didn’t like it. So what did they do? Well, the record speaks for itself.
They enter today’s District 9 Class A championship game against Elk County Catholic (at Brockway, 4:30 p.m.) with a 19-1 record. It’s a group that has seen five new starters grace the lineup from last season’s D-9 runner-up squad, and they have made a seamless transition.
“The closeness of this team and their openness is what makes them special,” said Smethport coach Dr. Jim Kane. “The freshmen are considered equals of the seniors and yet the freshmen have no hesitation deferring to the upperclassmen.”
Pitcher Brooke Kane-Walker and outfielder Quinn Burdick, who received all-state recognition a season ago, returned to the lineup, as did Nicole Nolte and Morgan Okerlund.
Katie Burdick, who saw plenty of action the previous two seasons, was penciled into the No. 3 spot in the lineup behind her twin sister. Senior Molly Lord, junior Baylee Brien and freshmen Abbey Woodard, Alana Durphy and Katie Treat all became regulars this season as well.
“They’re always there to help each other,” Kane said of his team. “When we are doing drills, the upperclassmen will talk to the underclassman and show them how to do things and do it properly. You just don’t get that on a lot of high school teams. This team has no cliques to it. It’s a unique bunch of kids.”
Their opponent, Elk County Catholic, is no stranger to big games either.
The two teams faced off in the 2013 Class A semifinal, with ECC getting the upper hand, 5-2.
Kane-Walker and Abbey Bauer both pitched in that game and they will square off again today, both looking to help lead their squad to a championship.
“Brookie had seven strikeouts in that game and she and Quinn both had hits off of her (Bauer),” Kane said. “I feel confident with Quinn and Molly, our slap hitters. I don’t think they see a whole lot of that in the south and we have two good ones.”
The 3-4-5 hitters for ECC — Bauer, Marissa Heary and Sophie Onink — provide much of the pop in the Lady Crusaders lineup, something Kane is certainly aware of.
“They’re a senior dominated team,” Kane said. “They have good, quality kids in every program. They start seven seniors, , one junior and one sophomore. They’re going to be well-prepared.”
The middle of Smethport’s lineup is equally as dangerous, however, with Nolte and Okerlund, as well the likes of Woodard and Durphy toward the bottom.
“Nicole and Abbey have really been knocking the snot out of the ball lately,” Kane noted.
It’s a lineup that doesn’t have any holes in it, which has been well-documented.
A lot of that can be attributed to the three freshman, who have made the transition to varsity softball look easy.
“Emily (Treat) may not bat, but she will in the future because she’s a good hitter and a good athlete,” Kane said. “Alana and Abbey have both come up with some big hits for us. They’re all good athletes, all really good kids. The upperclassmen respect them for their abilities and their personalities and they just feed off of each other.”
Regardless of the outcome of today’s game, each team has already assured itself of a spot in the state tournament.
Smethport wants to erase the bad taste of a 4-0 loss to DuBois Central Catholic in last year’s championship game, however. For them, the moment can’t come soon enough.
“The kids are anxious to play,” said Kane. “They want to go out there and prove that they are just as good or better than last year’s team. They have that attitude.”
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Smethport won’t be the only Northern Allegheny League team playing for a District 9 championship today, as the Oswayo Valley baseball team looks to capture the Class A championship when they battle Clarion at Berwind Park in St. Marys (4:30 p.m.).
A year after their first playoff victory in 12 years, the Green Wave find themselves playing in their first ever district championship game in baseball, thanks to an impressive 4-2 win over DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals on Tuesday.
“We are re-writing our team history,” said Oswayo Valley coach Brad Buchholz after the victory over DCC.
Elk County Catholic and DCC — the No. 1 and 2 seeds respectively, were expected to get to this point, but that didn’t matter to the Green Wave and the Bobcats.
Clarion was equally impressive, knocking off the defending state runner-ups 5-2 Tuesday.
Dylan Buchholz and Garren Black lead the OV offense, with 60 RBIs between them, while Brandon Brabham tossed a gem on the mound in the win over ECC.
Both teams have already assured themselves of a berth in the PIAA playoffs.
