ROCKINGHAM — Head coach Mike Way knows the Lady Raider softball team has all of the right pieces to have a successful campaign this spring. He said it’s just a matter of Richmond Senior High School having a quick start to jump ahead of the competition.
Entering his second season, Way and the Richmond softball program will look to build off a shortened three-game slate in 2020 that ended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Noting that every team in the state “is in the same boat” coming off an irregular season with no summer workouts or regular preseason, Way said Lady Raiders are aware that “every game counts more than ever” because of the 14-game, conference-only schedule.
But most importantly, Lady Raider softball is back and the team is excited to hit the diamond.
“It’s good to be back, and the best way to describe things is that it’s a relief to be back out on the field,” Way said. “We missed getting to play last year, and we’re trying to get in the habit of the way we want to do things as a team. With everything else going on, it’s good that we’re back to focusing on softball.”
Since the 10-player Lady Raider varsity team began workouts last month, Way said one of the biggest benefits has been getting the girls together to bond and knock off the rust.
“Everyone is happy to be out here around each other, and we’ve talked about working together as a team,” Way noted. “It’s important that we got a lot of reps (this preseason) and we’ll see how our team all fits together.”
Second-year head coach Mike Way works on baserunning drills with members of the varsity and junior varsity softball teams.
There’s a rich tradition of winning associated with the Lady Raiders, who had won the previous seven conference championships leading into last spring. In 2019, Richmond went 25-3 and recorded its second best winning percentage (.893) in program history.
Way doesn’t anticipate there to be a decline in the team’s success, but said Richmond will attack teams differently than in past years.
Noting the 2021 team has a “similar roster to last spring,” Way said the Lady Raiders will adapt to losing four-year varsity starter Madison Jordan and former player Taylor Waitley, who transferred to Scotland High School.
“This is a team that can compete and can win a lot of games if we do all the things the right way,” Way explained. “We’ll rely on our speed, stealing bases, playing good defense and having timely hitting. We can’t rely on producing home run numbers like teams of the past.”
Richmond’s success will start on the defensive side of the ball, more specifically with a platoon of pitchers that brings different strengths to the circle. They are seniors Kearston Bruce and Paige Ransom, along with sophomore Quston Leviner, all of whom are right-handers.
Bruce and Ransom were tabbed as the two starting pitchers last spring, filling in the gap left by former All-State pitcher Greyson Way. Splitting duties, Bruce collected a win and had 11 strikeouts in 11 innings as a junior, and Ransom went 1-1 in six innings pitched last year.
Leviner will make the jump to a full-time varsity player and will make her pitching debut this season. Pitching to contact and allowing the defense to make routine plays will be the aim for Richmond.
“We will be using a committee of pitchers, and each of them have things they do well,” Way said of the trio. “And it’s to our advantage to not show our hand when we play teams twice, so being able to have three possibilities and different looks could be effective on different nights. We will always have options.”
Bruce, who is committed to Bridgewater College, noted the team’s cohesiveness and excitement will help the Lady Raiders’ success.
“It’s really great to be back and I know a lot of the girls were looking forward to last season before we got shut down,” she said. “Being back with the girls has created a really good vibe, and our chemistry together is going to make it easier to play.
“We’re all good at different things, and mixing up pitchers will help us stay ahead of other teams,” she added of the pitching staff. “When we’re not pitching, all three of us can play other positions really well.”
Senior pitcher Kearson Bruce, one of three pitchers who will be used this season, throws during a scrimmage this preseason.
Across the rest of the infield, sophomore Macy Steen will be the primary battery mate for the pitchers behind the plate. She, like Leviner, will play her first full varsity season this spring.
On the left side of the diamond, senior four-year varsity starter Payton Chappell will hold down the hot corner at third base, while junior Duke University commit Allyiah Swiney will play shortstop.
When she’s not pitching, Bruce will also play second base, splitting reps with junior Kenleigh Frye. At first base, it’ll be newcomer Katie Way, who is a freshman.
Coach Way said Richmond’s infield “will have a lot of moving pieces depending on who’s pitching” and added the Lady Raiders will have to be able to adjust and get comfortable playing newer positions.
Dotting the outfield will be Frye in center field when she’s not at second base, and fellow two-year varsity player junior Maylyn Wallace will float between left and center. Ransom will also play left field, while Leviner and junior Shyann Byrd will anchor right field.
At the plate, several Lady Raiders will have the ability to add a pop to the lineup, including Chappell, Ransom and Swiney who have combined for 25 home runs in their careers. Ransom has 18 career longballs, including 11 as a freshman (program record) and seven as a sophomore, and has a career .371 batting average with 69 RBIs and 66 hits.
Chappell has hit .354 at the plate in her three previous seasons, adding 62 hits (13 doubles, 3 triples) and has brought in 55 RBIs. Swiney impressed her freshman year, batting .364 with five homers, including a pair of grand slams and a career-high eight RBIs against Seventy-First.
Frye, who is being recruited by several colleges, will enter her third season at the varsity level. She’s got a career .306 batting average with 9 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Both Frye and Swiney are a threat on the bases, swiping 11 and 10 bases, respectively, in their careers.
“Our bats are going to have to be strong, and we have good pitching to compliment that,” Chappell said. “If our bats can back up how well we play in the field, and we can minimize our errors, I think we can have a really good season.
As a four-year starter, Chappell also hopes to capitalize on being a leader for the Lady Raiders this spring.
“Being a freshman starting on varsity, over time I’ve taken over a leadership position,” she explained. “I want to make sure everyone communicates and is working together. We haven’t had as many practices like during a regular season, but we all have the talent to make this season a success.”
Senior 3B Payton Chappell, who hopes to step up as a leader this year, rips a ball during a preseason practice last week.
Coach Way mirrored that, adding the excellence that has been Lady Raider softball the last decade and a half is motivation for the team to be competitive despite the circumstances.
“This is Richmond and we have high expectations this season like we always do,” Way said. “It’s not ideal that we don’t have two senior pitchers (Bruce and Ransom) who haven’t gotten senior level experience because of COVID-19, but that’s not a hindrance to us. We just have to adapt this year.
“We have all the right pieces to make a run at a state championship, it’s just a matter of if we can put ourselves in the right spot by making it to the playoffs,” he added. “Once we’re there, anything can happen.”
Way anticipates Purnell Swett, Scotland and Jack Britt high schools to be competitive this season in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. He added that Lumberton and Pinecrest should be improved, and that there won’t be any easy weeks this season so the Lady Raiders will have to be ready for whatever comes their way.
“It comes back to not focusing on the results, but focusing on the process we want to make,” Way explained. “If we do things the right way and effectively, then we’ll win. If we don’t, we may struggle to win games.
“Although winning and losing is what we’re judged on, it’s not the ultimate scale,” he closed. “We’re trying to make the whole team better, and if we do that, the winning part will take care of itself.
“This season is more of a sprint. Trying to win our conference and finding one of those playoff spots will be tough, but we can get there and have a chance to survive.”
Way noted there has been a “tremendous amount of support from the Home Run Club” this year and that there are spots still available. Richmond will also begin its Snap!Raise fundraiser in the coming weeks.
The Lady Raiders will open their season Monday at Purnell Swett (7 p.m.) and travel to Pinecrest on Wednesday (6 p.m.).
