Williams Field softball off to best start in program history

Apr. 1—On paper, the Williams Field Black Hawks seem to have everything going for them on the softball field.

They're currently 19-2, the best start in program history. They have a roster filled with veterans at both the high school and club softball levels, which has made for high-scoring affairs that often have been in favor of Williams Field. The Black Hawks are a tight-knit group built around family. And lastly, they're currently the No. 2 ranked team in the 5A Conference.

But those accomplishments don't hold any weight with the players or coaching staff. They're still out to prove to themselves they're truly a better team than in year's past.

"We know our strength of schedule isn't the best. We play what we're given," Williams Field Head Coach Kerry Reeder said. "We decided last year we're tired of 'good losses.' We'll take some ugly wins this year. We know what we have coming in our region.

"I think this team is capable of beating anybody if we have all the pieces working."

Williams Field started region play strong by knocking off Casteel. The win ended a six-game losing streak to the Colts, which dates back several years.

The Black Hawks did it in the same fashion they have all season: A lot of runs scored, and few given up. Assistant coach Jason Skoda believes defense up the middle has been key for the team's success this season. From the pitching to the infield play to center field, they're playing at a high caliber.

Emma Childress, a junior, is one of the main defenders on the mound. She's 10-1 so far on the year and has struck out 39 batters. She admits she isn't always chasing strikeouts when she's on the mound. All she cares about is, if the ball is put into play, it's a pop fly or grounder that can be easily fielded by her teammates behind her. So, just like Skoda, she has faith in the defense behind her.

"It's not just reflective of me, it's the defense," Childress said. "I can rely on my defense. I can throw a drop ball and it'll be a ground ball and it will get fielded. Yeah, pitching is important and it's important for me to do well. But it's not a one player sport."

Childress is no stranger to success at the plate, either. She has 3 home runs this season, batting .538 in the process. Just ahead of her is senior Audrey Reeder, the daughter of Kerry Reeder.

Audrey has led the team in batting average the past three seasons. She feels since she did it as a freshman, she has higher expectations every year. But she embraces the challenge, and in turn helps her team score plenty of runs with 14 RBIs this season.

"Doing it freshman year, now I want to do it every year," Audrey Reeder said. "Yeah, it's hard to think stats don't matter. I just focus on hitting and prove it to myself I can do it. It all comes together eventually."

Along with their ability to play defense and score runs, the Black Hawks have become a close-knit group over the course of the off-season and into the last few months. It helps when those trying to create a family culture have real family on the roster.

Along with the Reeders, Childress has her father, Gary, as an assistant coach. Skoda, meanwhile, has his daughter, Jyllian, a junior catcher.

The family dynamic has rubbed off on the rest of the girls on the roster. They play club together. They play high school softball together. And perhaps most importantly, they are a family off the field, too.

"Some of these kids started with us in seventh and eighth grade club," Kerry Reeder said. "They spend the night at each other's houses, drive each other home. It really is a family affair. We're not going to treat a kid differently because they aren't our kid. We congratulate them the same and we yell at them the same."

Reeder and his girls haven't yet bought into their own hype. They admit their strength of schedule wasn't the best heading into region play.

That may be an understatement.

The teams Williams Field beat in the first half of the season have a combined record of 128-140. Only one is ranked in the top 10.

But the Black Hawks can change that narrative in region play.

"It puts some fire under our butts," Chamber said. "We don't want to just say, 'Yeah, we beat up on bad teams and we don't hold our ground with good teams.' We need to continue to push ourselves in practice and the weight room. Just keep pushing so when we do get to those teams, we're ready."

Have an interesting story? Contact Zach Alvira at (480)898-5630 or zalvira@timespublications.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.