How McDowell softball's mottos are carrying it toward its first MAC championship

CANDLER – Do your job. Don’t freak out. Do better mentally.

That’s the motto for McDowell softball this season, one of coach Catriona Young’s many sayings that have helped keep the Titans as a singularly minded, structured unit, all focused on the same goal.

Heading into the last week of the regular season, that effort has the Titans (12-5, 8-2) knocking on the door of the conference title, with the possibility of a deep playoff run not far behind.

“We’re all pushing for each other, and we all want to succeed,” junior infielder Sage Young said. “With that comes a lot of pressure, but we have our team to build us up. The three D's is a reminder to us each game and each practice we have each other.”

McDowell had one of its best seasons in a decade last year, winning 15 games for the second time since 2014. It finished third in the Mountain Athletic Conference, but the Titans still had a bright future on the horizon – eight of nine starters last season were set to return.

Those eight, plus the lone addition to the lineup in Emily Denton, are now sitting in position to do something the Titans never have before – win the Mountain Athletic Conference.

The Titans have knocked off top area competition like East Rutherford, R-S Central, North Buncombe and Enka, partially due to a line up that is not top-heavy.

Seniors Abby Wyatt and Kiersten Kemper and juniors Sage Young and Miranda Wall have all played significant offensive roles in each of those wins, but they’re not alone. Sophomore Kinsley McKinney has been the go-to in the circle, but it was sophomore Layla Presnell getting the start and shutting down Enka for five innings in a massive 2-1 win on April 23.

“For me, as a coach, I love it. Who wouldn’t?” Young said. “For them, as a team, just understanding that any given night it can be any one of their nights. They get excited for each other.”

It’s the depth of the pitching staff that makes Young think McDowell can finish the season with a conference title. McKinney has been the main pitcher for the Titans, but Presnell and junior Mackenzie Goley have also provided solid innings.

It’s also been thanks to Wall’s catching the unit has produced at such a high level.

Wall is catching for McDowell for the first time this season after spending the last two at third base. Despite stepping in for all-conference selection Gracie Rice, the lone starter who departed after last year, Wall gelled right into the Titans’ battery.

“With that pitching staff and with the maturity that Miranda has shown … it’s really good chemistry in the battery,” Catriona Young said.

McDowell’s lineup has the chemistry of one that has been playing together for years. Many of the players have shared the diamond since they were 6 or 7 years old, creating a tight-knit bond that also extends to those who joined the program later.

“We’ve been through it together,” Sage Young said. “Travel ball, we’ve been through it. Just life in general because we all love each other and we’re very close.”

Catriona Young said the team is close off the field, often talking to each other about things more than just softball. That bond has translated to a strength on the field – a concerted effort to play for each other, as teammates and as people.

“As the year has progressed, (it’s about) being a light for each other,” Young said. “It’s too dark out here. If they can be a light for each other, and we can be a light for them to help them reach their goals, then we’ll do whatever it takes."

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Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How McDowell softball is putting together winning year with experience