For most spring sports, the regular season is winding down and the postseason is about to get underway. On the softball diamond, the lone Tompkins County team heading to the playoffs is Lansing, and they’re hoping to achieve something truly special this season with an experienced squad.
The Bobcats will once again compete in the IAC Large School Championship after winning their third straight division title. The Bobcats went a perfect 6-0 in divisional play and have an overall record of 10-4, as of May 11. Considering that Lansing finished with a 8-7 regular season mark last year, they have clearly shown some improvement in the eyes of second-year head coach Mike Lockwood.
“Last year, I felt like we got into games and had one bad inning and it would just fall apart for us,” Lockwood said. “We couldn’t get away from that. This year, we’ve moved past that. If we make a mistake, if we have a bad at-bat, we keep fighting, we keep digging, and the outcomes have been different for us. It’s been a very pleasant change for the team and the atmosphere. They’re playing phenomenal right now.”
One of the most notable differences has been with their bats. The Bobcats posted a solid .285 batting average last time out. That number has increased to .372 this season, a clear sign that they’ve found their stride inside the batter’s box.
“We have been a lot more patient at the plate,” Lockwood said. “[W’ve] worked more full counts, fighting off pitches we didn’t necessarily like so we can swing at a better pitch. [There’s] a lot of growth there from the players. I think [it’s] just more patience, more emphasis on quality at-bats, and it’s kind of snowballed from there in terms of everybody just feeding off each other.”
What’s also helped the Bobcats’ cause is that they return almost everybody from last year’s team, graduating one player and calling up one player from the junior varsity team. Lansing’s veteran group is led by eight seniors, and they’re motivated more than ever to make their ‘last dance’ a memorable one.
“They’re hungry,” Lockwood said. “When the seniors are like, ‘Oh boy, this is it for me,’ that hunger really grows, and it’s infectious. Last year only having one senior, maybe some of the juniors were like, ‘That’s okay. We’re still in school another year.’ But it’s huge this year.”
One of those star seniors is Piper Mason. After dazzling in the circle for the last two years as the Bobcats’ ace, Mason is playing at shortstop this season as Lockwood felt she was the ‘missing piece’ at such a critical position in the field. Not only has Mason excelled defensively, she has also thrived at the plate, leading the team in most of the hitting categories.
“She’s playing phenomenal at shortstop, leads the team in double plays, up there in our putouts,” Lockwood said. “Now I know when balls are getting hit there, a play is going to happen. It’s rare that it doesn’t. Her confidence at the plate has been huge. She’s just a monster at the plate.”
Filling in the void pitching-wise is Reagan Chalupsky. The sophomore has been a workhorse in the circle, throwing all but two innings for the Bobcats after tossing just 11.2 innings last year.
“She does not get rattled,” Lockwood said. “That’s a huge benefit for her… That’s her mindset. She doesn’t get phased. She does everything you ask her to do, no questions asked. [She] keeps fighting. [She] doesn’t get emotional or upset. She’s just a great player, a great student of the game, and just a great player to coach. Her teammates support the change, and they support her.”
There are many other players who have stood out. Senior Marissa Nolan has stayed consistent at the plate while embracing her new role in center field. Junior catcher Liana Newman has improved significantly as a hitter, as has junior third baseman Esme Kennedy-Smith in the bottom third of the order. Junior outfielder Aeron Jensen-Hedrick has also grown tremendously at the plate.
Lansing will face either Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour or Thomas A. Edison in the IAC championship on May 14 in Watkins Glen. While their four losses on the season were all against both opponents, the Bobcats are hopeful they can win their first IAC title since 1999 and their first sectional title since 1998.
“We’ve had two great games against Edison, which has been the top team in the IAC for many years,” Lockwood said. “I feel like now, instead of it being a one or two-horse race, I think we’ve thrown our name in the hat there. We’re a team that people are like, ‘Wow, they can hit.’ We can hit really well, we can field, and we don’t quit, so you can’t count us out. And now that we know that and we believe that, I think we got a shot, just like anybody else.”
