Walsh Jesuit softball is undefeated, seeded second and ready to win OHSAA state title
Sienna Tepley admits the thought has crept in at times.
Last week, the center fielder for the Walsh Jesuit softball team was watching footage of the 2016 state championship where her mom was the strength and conditioning coach for the Warriors when it hit her.
The regular season was over. Walsh was undefeated and the Warriors just might be mere weeks away from the school’s fourth state title.
“I actually was thinking about that how we’re undefeated,” the West Point pledge said. “How if we were to win state we would be undefeated, so I think it’s a driving factor for me now. That 2016 team was the last to do it. I think that would be so crazy. … I think it would just be a full circle moment.”
Don’t get Tepley wrong. She means no disrespect to 14th-seeded Hoban, which the second-seeded Warriors play Monday.
She’s not looking past No. 11 Jackson or No. 16 Lake either as Walsh tries to navigate its way out of the Division I, Northeast 3 bracket in Massillon to win its third straight district title.
It’s just that these Warriors are different.
They’re driven.
They’re really good.
“I think we're just building as a program,” Minnesota signee Natalie Susa said. “Every year that I've had a team, we've been special. We've been real close, but I think that just the friendships we have off the field translate to on the field. We invested early and it's showing off now and I think that just is a difference.
“That balance is great. I've come out so much more loose, so much more comfortable on the mound this year just because I know that my team's going to put up those runs and I think that that just makes it easier on me on the defense side. And I think it helps that me and [catcher Caleigh Shaulis] can kind of craft some different things, put different sequences together, try new things, and we're not so tense, not scared to mess up because we know that as soon as we mess up, our team will support us back and put up those runs for us.”
Dominant pitching by Natalie Susa powers Walsh Jesuit
Susa enters Monday 11-0 with a 0.79 ERA. She’s struck out 149 of the 291 batters she’s faced. She surrenders less than one walk a game and batters are hitting .086 against her.
Susa has a perfect game and no-hitter already on her resume.
Need more?
OK. Akron commit McKayla McGee is 8-0 with 68 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.
She’s thrown a one-hitter and has a 16-strikeout game this season.
“I think what makes us really great is how close we are,” said Shaulis, who is committed to Kent State. “We love one another so much, and we cheer each other on. We battle adversity, too, so I think our connections with each other and just being well-rounded overall is what makes us really good.
“It definitely helps when we have great hitting and then great defense and then great pitching of course by Natalie and McKayla. Having all that balance, we don't have to stress.”
Walsh Jesuit softball has the offense to back up its lofty goals
The team hits a collective .393, including .404 with runners in scoring position. Its 63-of-64 in stolen bases and has a 1.035 OPS.
Individually, Shaulis (.597, two home runs, 23 RBIs), Tepley (.483, 2, 10), McGee (.474, 6, 33), Zoey Schmitt (.429, 0, 13) Brooklyn Marchette (.366, 4, 16) and Renee Brown (.356, 0, 19) have been outstanding on offense.
The Warriors can win the 1-0 game like they did against Anthony Wayne or they can hit a walkoff grand slam like they did against Holland Springfield.
Anthony Wayne is ranked fourth in the Division I coaches poll. Springfield is eighth. Walsh also owns an 8-1 win over Warren Champion (No. 4 in Division III).
“I think it is an overall team environment,” Warriors coach Tony Scibelli said. “I think that's first and foremost, the six coaches and 20 players. We all respect each other. I think it's a very positive environment and I think we're all going in the same direction.
“I think many years that's not always possible because of a number of different things, but I feel like everything is moving in the right direction and it's just different. There's just a different vibe and we come to the field having fun, looking to have fun. We're loose and just enjoying each other.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh Jesuit High School eyes fourth OHSAA softball state title
