Prep softball: Christy shines brightest in Rebels' biggest games

Jun. 29—WILLOW RIVER — The pressure of stepping into the pitcher's circle on the state's biggest stage at Caswell Park in North Mankato has never seemed to faze Moose Lake-Willow River senior Sarah Christy.

During the team's back-to-back trips to the Class A state tournament, the two-time all-state selection has toed the rubber in consecutive semifinal games, posting a combined 20 strikeouts, and even pitched all eight innings of the Rebels' 2022 state championship game thriller against Nicollet.

When the stakes are highest, Christy maintains a calm demeanor that permeates the team, according to head coach Kelly Goeb.

"She just steps on that mound with confidence and she doesn't get rattled," Goeb said. "She just takes charge when she's out there. She just has this calming presence when she's there and just does a wonderful job."

Christy admits that instinct takes over in the moments before she enters the circle as the excitement of another start takes hold.

"Honestly, it's all kind of adrenaline," she said. "My adrenaline is just pumping and it's exciting going into games, but it's also nerve-wracking. Once we start, I get more calm."

Christy's infectious confidence led her to follow up her stellar junior season with an encore performance as a senior, pitching 82 innings over 13 starts, where she compiled a 9-4 record, a 134-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a meager 1.10 ERA.

Along the way, she notched a pair of no-hitters and reached the milestone of 500 career strikeouts in a win over Carlton-Wrenshall in the Section 7A tournament.

For her efforts, Christy has been named the 2023 Cloquet Pine Journal All-Area Softball Player of the Year.

Leaning on her two-pitch mix of high fastball and changeup, Christy has developed a crafty method of keeping hitters off-balance, according to Goeb.

"I think she's able to vary her speed in a very sneaky manner. She can throw a changeup, and you can't tell that it's coming," Goeb said. "And she's just worked really hard on placing her pitches, so she's able to get it kind of where she wants it. She's learned to recognize hitters, how they swing and therefore what pitches are going to be more successful in striking them out."

The awareness of hitters' tendencies comes after years of pitching with six-year catcher and 2022 grad, Natalie Mikrot. For the first time in her career, Christy had a new battery mate during the 2023 season in sophomore Madison Wasche, who was impressed by Christy's knowledge of the game.

"She just helped me with basically everything, like what to call, when to call it. She taught me in the dugout before every game (about) this is what this team is going to do and how we should play it," Wasche said.

Christy's understanding of the sport carried over to the batter's box, where she led the high-powered Rebels in runs batted in with 32, and fell just short of a .500 batting average at .483 with 43 hits.

Her dependability at the plate will be sorely missed, Goeb said.

"We're definitely going to miss her in the lineup," Goeb said. "She's just that go-to hitter that if she knows she needs a hit she's just going to work extra hard to make sure that she makes contact and does everything she can to get those runners in."

The next stop in Christy's softball career will begin next spring when she takes the field for Division III St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Before heading to the Twin Cities, she plans to compete one last time with her high school teammates on the MLWR summer team before shifting her focus to training, with goals of improving her core muscle and leg strength.

"I know that I'm going to have to work for my position—harder than I have in high school—and there's going to be more competition down there and different pitchers," Christy said. "So I'm going to have to work in the offseason and train harder."

Her future club at St. Kate's competes in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) under head coach Colleen Powers. The Wildcats are coming off of a 19-20 season in 2023.

The opportunity at the next level will allow her to expand and further hone areas of her game after learning the art of pitching predominantly on her own.

Goeb said she's excited about what the future holds for Christy.

"She's never really had super formal coaching as far as pitching goes, so I think that they're getting a gem," Goeb said. "And she works hard and she's just like a raw piece of talent out there just ready to be developed and learn more pitches and learn how to be more successful."

2023 — Sarah Christy, Sr., Moose Lake/Willow River

2022 — Dana Jones, Sr., Cloquet