- April 23, 2024
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The Lakewood Ranch High softball team began its 2022 season the same way its 2021 season ended — with a blowout victory.
The Mustangs defeated Bradenton's Inspiration Academy 14-1 in four and a half innings at home on Feb. 21. The Mustangs scored four in the second inning and nine in the third, and that was pretty much it, although a run in the fourth officially ended the game.
For area softball fans, the barrage came as no surprise. Lakewood Ranch is the defending Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A state champion and returns eight of nine batters from that championship lineup, the lone exception being outfielder Jillian Herbst, who is now a freshman at Colgate. The Mustangs finished 2021 ranked second in the country by MaxPreps and begin 2022 ranked third.
Get used to watching lots of blowouts again.
If the game against Inspiration Academy was not convincing enough, the Mustangs repeated the performance on Feb. 24. going on the road and blasting Gulf Coast High 15-2.
The offense is led by junior outfielder Cassidy McLellan, a University of Florida commit and one of the top high school players in the country. McLellan hit .542 in 2021, with nine home runs, six triples, 15 doubles and 42 RBIs. She's gone four of six with a triple, a double and three RBIs through two games in 2022.
I could highlight anyone in the Lakewood Ranch lineup and give impressive statistics, but it is the player stepping back into the lineup that could mean the most of anyone outside McLellan, and that is Sydney McCray. The senior was slated to be one of the team's key contributors last season but suffered an ACL tear that ended her season before it could begin.
Yet she was there.
McCray — whom Coach TJ Goelz called the team's heartbeat — refused to let her injury make her feel like anything less than a contributing player. Her teammates continued to embrace her as she found alternative ways to help them win.
"We have all played together forever," McCray said. "There was never a question of, 'Oh, she can't even play, why is she here?' They helped me feel like part of it. And for me, I always asked what I could be doing to help the team. What could I do in the dugout to help get a win?"
Most of the time, that meant thinking like a coach.
McCray would take notes and keep stats during games, sharing them with the team after each game. It wasn't the same as playing, McCray said, but it was something, and doing something was a whole lot better than doing nothing. Her effort to assist the team in any way possible helped McCray find joy in the team's state championship win even though she was unable to play in it.
Of course, being back on the field is a much better feeling.
"It's so much fun (being back)," McCray said. "I couldn't wait to start playing. I have been working hard to get back to my best. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting there. I'd say I'm at 95%. I think I'll be at 100% soon."
McCray wore a brace on her left knee against Inspiration Academy as added protection. If it was a hinderance, she hid the discomfort well. McCray's top asset is her speed and she used it to great effect against the Lions when she easily scored on a passed ball.
"She practices hard, she plays hard and she's a good leader," Goelz said. "She's going to get back to 100% soon and have a big year. She's been around for four years now. She's played with some of our program's legends and she knows how things are done around here. She knows the expectation level. She wants to be considered in that (legendary) class, too."
If the team has one question mark, it's the pitching staff. Last year, the Mustangs' pitchers didn't put up superstar numbers, but they gutted through the postseason and always gave the team a chance to win. It turned out the team's offense was so good they would have won with just about anyone on the mound. That might be the case again in 2022 — but Goelz also said the team's young pitchers have a chance to be successful in their own right.
Goelz said sophomore Ella Dodge has a chance to be the team's workhorse. Dodge did give up one run against Inspiration Academy — perhaps out of initial opening game nerves — but has struck out 12 hitters in six innings of work and has yet to walk a batter.
"She's a bulldog on the mound," Goelz said. "She reminds me of (former Mustang and current Connecticut sophomore pitcher) Peytan Kinney. She's going to throw a lot of strikes and attack the zone. Occasionally a few of those are going to get hit, but that doesn't phase her. She has high expectations for herself."
The team also can use dependable, fiery senior Ella Coiner — who started the team's state championship win but also plays the outfield — and junior Peyton Knight, who provides a different look than anyone else. While most high school pitchers throw in the 60 mph range, Knight throws in the low 50s. On its own, that would be troubling, but Knight's off-speed pitch can be thrown in the 30s. Inspiration Academy hitters unprepared for the pitch were flailing at it in Knight's one inning of work in that game and Goelz said Knight would be a "secret weapon" as the team moves forward.
As much potential as the pitchers have, it is the offense that will be the team's calling card once again. With McCray back in the fold, McLellan still putting up elite numbers and the rest of the lineup following suit, the Mustangs have the power to contend for back-to-back titles.
