by Chapin Jewell Mineral Daily News & Tribune Correspondent
KEYSER, W.V. (WV News) -- There is a buzz and some extra energy circulating around the Potomac State softball program as they prepare to kick off their fall campaign. Why shouldn’t there be?
The Lady Catamounts are coming off a highly successful 2022 campaign that saw them win the Region XX championship and finish at the NJCAA World Series with an overall record of 41-4.
“Any time you can qualify for the World Series and put together a 35-game win streak, and finish 41-4. Then going down there and facing the number one team and having the game won until we let it slip away. It was a good for a small school like Potomac State, right here in Keyser, to be able to compete at the national level,” Catamounts’ coach Craig Rotruck stated.
Though they finished 0-2 at the World Series, in their opening matchup against Des Moines Area Community College, the number one seed, Potomac State held a lead late before letting in slip away. It was an eye opener for sure, and one drew a lot of eyes the Lady Cats’ way.
Against Triton College in their game two loss, they just couldn’t seem to get things started, disappointed, no doubt, about the way things ended in game one.
Gone from that highly successful team is a trio of All-Region XX players, shortstop Madi Anderson, pitcher Taylor Townsend, and third baseman Josie Deneen. In addition, they Lady Catamounts also lost a talented crew that included catchers Skylar Ross and Camryn Blacka, outfielders Aurora Slusher and Allison Dean, pitcher Maddy Whetzel, and infielder Emma Turner.
“Madi Anderson, a Keyser girl, was our top hitter and one of our leaders. She hit .461 for us, leading us in batting average, hits, and runs scored. She was also very good defensively,” Rotruck stated.
“Taylor Townsend, that’s also a big loss. She hit in the middle of the lineup for us, and hit .360. But where we’re really going to miss her the most is as our ace pitcher. She finished with a record of 18-2 in the circle for us last year,” Rotruck detailed.
According to Rotruck, “Those are going to be our two biggest losses. But also, Skylar Ross and Camryn Blacka, they were very good defensively for us. We’re going to have our hands full, replacing two catchers, and our top hitter and pitcher.”
Potomac State does, however, have four returning All-Region XX players in first baseman Alexis Bailey, left fielder Simone Blanks, pitcher/third baseman Brianne Stocks, and second baseman/shortstop Mia Kincaid. In addition, catcher/outfielder Grace Walsh, pitcher/outfielder Jenna Burkhamer, and infielder Kasey Pope return as well.
Adding to the returning roster, the Lady Cats will look to replenish the nine they’ve lost with an incoming group of eight freshman. Those incoming freshmen include: outfielder/infielder Courtney Adams (Bishop Walsh); outfielder Meghan Harris (Sherando); catcher/infielder Ashley Joll (Belle Vernon); pitcher/infielder Abby Peace (Clarke Co.); outfielder/pitcher Riley Schulze (Century); outfielder/pitcher Katelin Secrist (Chambersburg Area); infielder Alexa Shoemaker (Keyser); catcher Heather Williams (Rappahannock Co.).
“So far, we’ve only had a few workouts with our pitchers and catchers. But we feel like Abby Peace, from Clarke County, Virginia, we’re hoping for big things out of her in the circle,” Rotruck stated.
According to Rotruck, “Then of course Alexa Shoemaker from Keyser, we’re looking for her to step into a middle infield position, and spend some time in the circle for us, and make a big impact with her bat.”
In total, the current 2022-2023 roster includes eight freshmen and seven sophomores and is comprised of players from four different states. Virginia leads the way with six players, West Virginia follows with five, and Pennsylvania and Maryland have two players each.
The goals for the program are big. Building on successes from the past, and the positive energy surrounding the program currently, Potomac State wants to make an impact on the national level.
“We think that we know what we need to do and were going to work towards making that happen. We want to get back to the World Series
The fall schedule kicks off this Saturday, Sep. 10, at 1 p.m. with an intrasquad Blue/Gold game at home at Potomac State.
There is a big difference between what happens in the fall and what happens in the regular season in the spring.
According to Rotruck, “In our fall program, we play everyone about the same amount of time. We have six pitchers, and everyone will probably get about the same amount of innings. We also try to get about the same amount of at bats for everyone. It’s a great opportunity for the players to showcase their skills, at different positions, to see where they can possibly help us in the spring.”
“Fall ball essentially lets us hit the ground running in the spring in terms of answering questions we need answered and fielding the most competitive team we can.”