Souderton will face District 6 champion Central Mountain in a PIAA Class AAAA state quarterfinal softball game on Thursday at Messiah College (4 p.m.).
By Mary Jane Souder
They are Souderton’s version of “Women in Black,” and while their identical black practice tees and softball pants give the team an almost formal look, there is nothing formal or stuffy about the Indians’ practice the day before they will face Central Mountain in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal game Thursday.
Make no mistake about it – the practice is organized and runs like clockwork, but if there’s pressure, it certainly doesn’t show. Coach Steph Rummel and assistant Phil Rummel, her husband, are sitting in the top row of the just installed bleachers overlooking their softball field, waiting for their players to arrive. Steph is bemoaning the fact that she will not be able to watch the Avon Grove-Parkland game that will be hosted by Souderton at the same time her team will be making its trek to Messiah College.
The mood is decidedly light as the players arrive, and it’s an atmosphere that encourages laughter and good fun. The players have responded to the environment Rummel has created by winning and experiencing the kind of success that most undoubtedly would not have been predicted after last year’s 11-9 season that saw the Indians finish tied for fifth in the SOL Continental Conference. They are just two years removed from a 6-13 season.
“Coming in, we were good, and we knew we were good,” senior Erelle Sowers said. “We always made goals and stuff, but I never really thought we could get this far because it never really happened.
“Being here, it’s like ‘Holy cow, we’re here. We’re doing this right now. We could win this.’ It’s a huge eye opener that this is happening.”
“Oh boy, this has definitely been an amazing year,” senior Paige Shelly added. “We came in from the beginning and we had our goals. Me and the other seniors always said, ‘We want to make it to playoffs. We want to make it to states.’ That was our goal this year to end our senior year and my last year of playing softball.
“Now that we’re here, it’s definitely unbelievable, and I’m taking in every second and every moment of it and enjoying it while it lasts.”
Although Rummel enjoys winning as much as anyone, the Indians’ coach isn’t driven by the singular goal of winning championships, and it wasn’t until a day after her team clinched sole possession of the conference crown this season that the Souderton alum realized that she had been part of the Indians’ last conference titles her sophomore and junior years.
“I don’t worry about that stuff,” Rummel said with a laugh.
Neither do her players, it seems.
“Honestly, we all had no idea coming into the season what we could do,” senior Haley DeLany said. “But I knew this was my last year, and I wanted us to give 110 percent.
“I think our secret would be 110 percent and also teamwork. I think teamwork is a huge thing for us. I really don’t think there’s one person that stands out. We all stand out, we all work together, we all push each other to be better, and we all hope someone will either pick us up or put us in a good position. We all want the best for each other. We’re really a family, and I think that’s what you need to keep a good balance on the team.”
The players knew they boasted some talent.
“Starting off, we knew we had good hitting, and we also knew we had good defense,” Shelly said. “It was just whether or not it came together in games.
“Whenever we lost, it was an eye opener – we could have done this to win, we could have done this better. We just kept working and never giving up, and we just kept going. We all always say that one swing can change a game, and we’ve just been lucky.”
Lucky perhaps but also very good. The Indians take an 18-5 record into Thursday’s game against Central Mountain, two wins removed from a spot in the state championship game.
“In the beginning of the season, we definitely thought we had a chance to be the top in our conference, and we definitely wanted to be somewhere near the top,” Amanda Brush said. “It’s awesome achieving that, and, of course, we definitely wanted to make playoffs too.
“We pretty much have to play our game and not really worry about everyone else. We have to focus on every single pitch – we live in the moment, enjoy everything now because you never know what might happen. It’s just important to make sure we’re playing our game.”
A key to the team’s success has unquestionably has been the leadership of the team’s four senior captains – Shelly, DeLany, Brush and Sowers.
“They have been a great extension of the coaching staff and that’s what we have been talking with them all year about is just picking up the leadership qualities that we need out of them to lead this team to where they need to go,” Rummel said. “They have done that excellently.
“Not to mention, they’re all different girls in their own way – personality-wise, player-wise, so it’s good to see those different aspects coming in as leadership. They get along with all the girls. It’s been just a great loving team that we really have had minimal problems with because the leaders instill that in the other players.”
Sowers has been a workhorse on the mound for the Indians this season. It is not a role she expected to find herself in when the season started.
“Coming in, I didn’t think I was going to be number one,” Sowers said. “I thought they were going to split it up between me and the other pitcher who was here. We had totally different pitching motions, we had totally different speeds, and when we split games, it worked perfectly because it would just throw everyone off. So coming in, I thought that’s how it was going to be for the whole season, and I thought it would work really well, but then things kind of changed.”
Plans changed when the pitcher Sowers expected to split time with opted to leave the team. The senior pitcher and her teammates didn’t miss a beat.
“As a team, we’ve grown together,” Sowers said. “The more we’ve played, the more understanding we get of each other, the more pumped up we get, the more of a family we become, so I think it just pumps us up.”
For the seniors, the season was an opportunity to assume new roles.
“I think this year I really learned how to be a leader, and that was with the help of the coaching staff and the other seniors,” DeLany said. “That was something I always struggled with. I was always the youngest one, always the follower and never put myself out there to lead.”
And what will the seniors remember most about their final season?
“A lot,” Brush said. “Pretty much being with the girls. That’s definitely the thing I’ll remember – having so much fun and getting this far, and we did this as a team, which is really awesome.”
“(I’ll remember) the great memories we shared together,” DeLany added. “Our inside jokes, and just the great successful season we had and the feeling that came with it.”
“I’m honored to be part of Souderton softball,” Shelly said. “And I say this a lot – especially since it’s my senior year, it’s definitely a big honor, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I will remember this for the rest of my life and cherish it.”
#1-3 SOUDERTON vs. #6-1 CENTRAL MOUNTAIN at Messiah College (4 p.m.)
Souderton
- 18-5 overall
- 11-3 SOL Continental Conference champions
- Third place finish in District One Tournament
- Led by senior captains Amanda Brush, Haley DeLany, Paige Shelly & Erelle Sowers
How they got here: The Indians erased an early 1-0 deficit in Monday’s state opener against District 3 champion Cumberland Valley with an eight-run second on their way to the 12-3 win. In District One AAAA play, the third-seeded Indians fell to second-seeded Avon Grove 3-1 in a semifinal game but rebounded to defeat fourth-seeded Spring-Ford 9-5 in the third place game.
Central Mountain
- 18-3 overall
- District 6 champion for second time in three years.
- Winners of seven straight and nine of last 10 games.
- Boast team batting average of .383
- Junior pitcher Rachael Shady is 14-2 with a 1.78 ERA with nine complete games. She has fanned 92 and walked 29 in 106 innings.
Players to watch: Seniors: Moriah Lindsey (.437, 31-for-71, 2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs), Avery Shaffer (.396, 19-for-48, 10 RBIs, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR), Lauren Russell (.360, 27-for-75, 24 RBIs, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR), Jordan Kaler (.358, 24-for-67, 17 RBIs, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR), Juniors: Bree Hilty (.475, 29-for-61, 12 RBIs, 5 2B, 1 HR), Emily Strouse (.444, 28-for-63, 17 RBIs, 10 2B, 2 3B), Mariah Major (.439, 29-for-66, 13 RBIs, 7 2B, 1 HR), Rachael Shady (.322, 19-for-59, 22 RBIs, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR).
How they got here: In Monday’s state opener against District 3’s third place team, Manheim Township, the Lady Wildcats trailed 6-1 after five innings. They scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and then plated three more in the seventh to earn a come-from-behind 7-6 win. Moriah Lindsey delivered the game-winning single. The Lady Wildcats had 13 hits, led by the three-hit effort of Mariah Major. Jordan Kaler had a pair of doubles. Lindsey also had three hits, including a triple. Rachael Shady had two singles. Emily Strouse won it in relief of Shady, allowing three hits in three scoreless innings. In the District 6 title game, Central Mount defeated Mifflin County 4-1. Major led the way with three singles while Kaler added a pair. Shady threw a six-hitter to earn the win.
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