When Mike Zuk was coaching junior varsity in 2013, he knew that a group of eighth graders just starting would have the potential to make a run at some points during their high school careers.
Zuk took the head coaching post in 2014 and led the Knights to a 9-10 season. Not bad, considering the core of his team was a junior, four sophomores and a freshman. Now, the Thomas Dale softball team appears to be clicking on all cylinders, as they’ve gotten off to an 8-1 start in 2015. They’ve been a surprise, and have to be considered contenders down the stretch.
“Team chemistry has improved tremendously from last season,” said Zuk. “With a smaller team this year the girls are at ease about their roles and their positions.”
That’s a good thing for any of the potential bench players the Knights may have had, because they wouldn’t be seeing the field much. The lowest batting average in the starting line-up is .250, which isn’t setting the world on fire, but is a number that contributes from time to time. That young core we discussed? They’re hitting .433 with 77 hits, 13 for extra bases and have accounted for 52 RBI.
The core, or the six players are: shortstop, Sarah Ridgeway; right fielder, Courtney Robinette; center fielder, Lauryn King; pitcher, Jordan Starke; left fielder, Katie Merhout; and catcher, Rayana Hill. All of them have provided good to outstanding offense, defense and have added to chemistry, which is at an all-time high.
Robinette and Merhout are the names you may not be the most accustomed to. If at all possible, Robinette leads the team in batting average at .583 with 14 hits- all singles. The junior’s consistency at the dish helps guide the Knights’ offense. Merhout, also a junior, is hitting .357 with a penchant for production- she leads the team with 13 RBI.
More fuel to the Knights’ fire comes in the form of Ridgeway, the team’s shortstop. Working with coaches in the off-season, she’s improved both her speed and her offense. By getting on base more, she’s been able to put more pressure on opposing teams with the stolen bases.
Starke is the team’s senior leader, the staff ace and first baseman on days when Breanna Andrews pitches. Starkey is a two-time Village News Player of the Week. The senior will attend Guilford College next fall and is going out with a bang so far with a 6-1 record and a 1.88 ERA. Starke’s’ speciality isn’t the power game, it’s pitching to contact- she has just 21 strikeouts on the year.
One cannot count the successes of a pitcher without considering who their catcher is. Junior Rayana Hill was an All-Conference 3 honoree last year and can swing the bat, but the best part of her game may be her defense and an uncanny ability to call games as a high schooler. Hill doesn’t take pitch calls from coaches in the dugout like most high school catchers, she makes the decisions, along with Starke, herself. Mentioning pitching to contact, Starke and Hill induced 17 ground balls to defeat Clover Hill 9-1.
Last, but certainly not least, is the team’s muscle- their power hitter – Lauryn King.
“She swings hard, she’s an aggressive hitter,” said Zuk. “When she hits the ball, it goes a long way.”
King has connected on two homers this season- one against Patrick-Henry Roanoke and the other coming against rival Matoaca. As of press time, she’s hitting .400.
The Knights are 8-1 this year with big time victories over James River, (winning 12-1) and the aforementioned Clover Hill victory. Their lone loss of the season came early on to Floyd County in a tournament in Roanoke, which also served as a positive team building exercise. They’ll face off with Matoaca on Thursday before squeezing in a couple three-game weeks to finish out the year. By all accounts, 2015 has been a team effort that’s extended beyond the people on the field.
“Players, coaching staff and parents have helped,” Zuk said. “We’ve all tried to increase the good vibes between teammates,” he continued. “Instead of asking other friends to hang out outside of softball, they’re asking each other.”
The Knights will ride hot bats and team chemistry down the stretch to what they hope will be a Conference 3 Championship and more.
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