Win another state championship.
That is Man’s aim as the Lady Billies are set to defend their Class A state title.
Man won the Class A state crown last season after beating Wheeling Central, 7-3, in the finals at Jackson Memorial Park in Vienna, closing out the year with a 24-3 record.
With all-state junior pitcher Marlena Frye back, along with a host of other starters and key role players, the chances look good for the Lady Billies to repeat as state champs, or at least make it back to the Big Dance.
Man coach Randy Epperly said winning the state championship last year did a lot for the Lady Billies’ program. It was Man’s first softball state title since 1983, back in the days when the WVSSAC sponsored a single-class state tourney format.
“That’s our goal from the start every year,” Epperly said. “The last two or three years before that we came up just a little bit short. We thought that we should have won the regional championship the last two years before that but we couldn’t get a break. When we went up there (Vienna) we expected to win it. It was kind of routine to be honest about it. Anytime you can win a state championship it does put some life into a program. Even though you feel your program is already at a pretty high level it does put an extra notch into it. It gets everybody excited about the future.”
The Lady Billies lost only one starter from last year due to graduation – shortstop Katie Bryant.
“We lost only one starter from last year,” Epperly said. “So our expectations are pretty high as you can imagine. Anything short of that (repeating as state champs) would probably be a disappointment to us. But sometimes you need a break or two along the way. You can be good but if you don’t get a break along the way you could come up a little bit short. Our expectations are no different than last year. This is what our sights are set on and we’ll work hard to try to achieve it. Hopefully, we’ll be back there in the state tournament.”
The Man program begins with Frye, a hard-throwing right-hander and one of the best pitchers in the state. Frye, who is being recruited by some Division I schools, struck out a whopping 344 batters last season.
“Anytime you have Marlena Frye on the mound you are always going to be in the ballgame with a better than average chance to win that ballgame,” Epperly said. “In the game of softball it starts right there on the mound. Pitching and catching is 90 percent of the game and we feel like we have two of the best there.”
Behind the plate, Kaitlyn Chapman returns to her starting post.
“You not only have to have a good pitcher but you also have to have an excellent catcher and we feel like we’ve got an excellent catcher,” Epperly said of Chapman. “It’s kind of like having an assistant coach out there on the field. Kaitlyn is a senior and she’s been with me since the fifth grade. Most of these girls have been with me in softball since the fifth grade. They know me well and I know them well. A lot of the body language that we go through with each other is understood. Things most of the time work pretty smooth because of it.”
Seniors Loren Whited and Becky Compton complete Man’s pitching staff along with Frye.
“We’ve got three pitchers and all three of my pitchers threw in the scrimmage down at Chapmanville on Wednesday,” Epperly said. “All three of them did well. Of course, Marlena leads the staff but my other two pitchers have worked hard in the off-season and they look strong. That does ease my mind a little bit. In previous years we only had one pitcher and we always said a little prayer each day hoping that the one pitcher didn’t get hurt. You still do that. You don’t want to lose your horse but at least now we know that if one goes down for three or four days due to a mild injury you will have someone that can pitch and keep your team in games. The main thing is to stay in the game because we can score runs. We’re not all pitching. We have four girls who are capable of hitting any pitch thrown to them out of the park. It’s not all pitching and defense.”
Whited is back as Man’s starting first baseman.
At second base, Epperly said Malorie Vance has the inside nod. Last year’s starting second baseman, Tabby Johnston, has been shifted over to shortstop to fill in for the graduated Bryant.
“Malorie Vance is a sophomore and she played outfield last year,” Epperly said. “We moved her into the infield this year to take Tabby’s spot. She’ll bat cleanup behind Marlena. We wanted a good bat behind Marlena to kind of protect her. She hits the ball hard. We moved Tabby Johnston from second base to shortstop. So far she has done a good job.”
Senior starter Jaclyn Dickerson returns to her spot at third base.
“She’s back at third. She’s been there for four years,” Epperly said of Dickerson. “She’s pretty steady and played real well last year especially down the stretch. I’m not even sure that she made a single error at third base last year in the last 17 or 18 games.”
Man is also experienced in the outfield.
Senior Mercedes Sharp returns in left. Senior Malorie Keffer is back in center and junior Paige Stacy is the front-runner in right field.
“The outfield is pretty well set,” Epperly said. “It’s a good outfield. They’ve been out there for a while.”
Lindsey Whited could also see playing time for Man this season.
“She will probably be our first person off the bench,” Epperly said. “She’s just a 10th-grader but she can play a number of positions. She’s got a lot of life to her. She’s Loren’s sister. She’ll probably be our main substitute.”
Holly Sampson is Man’s backup catcher.
Tia Gent could see time in the Lady Billies’ outfield.
Lori Justice, a newcomer, will be pressing for playing time in the infield.
“She’s shown some athletic skills,” Epperly said. “It’s just a matter of her learning the game some.”
Freshman Erin Burgess is another top reserve for Man.
“She pitches a little bit and can also play in the infield,” Epperly said. “I only have 15 players. That’s the smallest number of girls that I have had up here in a long time.”
Man lost just three games last season. They were all in a three-game stretch in which the Lady Billies lost 2-1 at Chapmanville, fell 2-1 to Scott and then lost 2-0 at home to Logan. The Lady Billies then reeled off 18 straight wins to win the sectional, regional and state championships.
Man is once again paired with Gilbert and Van in its Class A sectional.
And once again, the Lady Billies will be heavily favored to win it. Man dominated last year’s sectional tourney, winning 10-0 and 13-0 over Van.
The Lady Billies then won easily over Burch, 20-1, in the regional semifinals before scoring a 5-1 victory at Buffalo in the Class A regional finals.
In last year’s state tourney, Man was a perfect 3-0 with wins over South Harrison (5-0) and Wheeling Central (3-1, 7-3).
This year’s sectional tourney is set to be played at Gilbert, Epperly said.
The road to the state tournament goes through Man, no doubt.
But that’s even more true this season.
In years past, the Lady Billies would have to travel to play in the regional semifinal and then go to Buffalo Putnam to play in the regional finals.
Not this year.
Both games are set to be played on Man’s home diamond this season.
That means the Lady Billies will likely play on their home field for the right to make a return to the state tournament.
Epperly said he’s thrilled to have such an opportunity.
“That’s the good thing about this year,” he said. “If we are fortunate enough to win our sectional the semi regional will be played here at Man and the regional final would also be here at Man. If we are able to make it that far we won’t have to travel all the way to Buffalo like we have had to the last five years. This new setup is really good. Instead of having to travel to one site that has been preselected for a number of years it will now alternate in different areas each season. This year it will be at Man. The next year it might be at Buffalo, Charleston Catholic or Huntington St. Joe or places like that.”
The Lady Billies are scheduled to open the 2009 season on Saturday at Van.
As always, Man will be put to the test with a tough schedule.
The Lady Billies will play a home-and-home with 3A county rival Logan, have single games at 3A Beckley and George Washington, have a home-and-home with 2A contender Wyoming East and have two games against Double-A Scott, which made it to the state tournament last season. Man also takes part in Buffalo’s Best of the Best tourney, April 9-11.
“I try to play as hard a schedule as I can,” Epperly said. “When you think about it the whole season is nothing but a set of scrimmages to get you ready for the sectional and the regional tournaments. We play Logan and Scott and we play Fayetteville, Moorefield and Wheeling Linsley in the Best of the Best tournament. We play Wyoming East and they have a good team this year and we play Oak Hill. We did have Point Pleasant on the schedule but they got into a tournament and they had to drop us. We also play Poca and George Washington. We play some good teams.”
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