Inside Mapleton softball's torrid start to the season

The midseason point of the softball season is here and as we stand, Mapleton just might be playing the best of all the Ashland County teams at the moment. Currently sporting a 12-1 record, the Mounties are gliding right now and undefeated (7-0) in the Firelands Conference.

But to them, this isn't much of a surprise.

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"This is the best start the team has had in quite awhile that I know," said Mapleton head coach Dan Sanders. "This is not something that's a surprise. We have five four-year starters and seven seniors total. We expected to have a season like this. I feel like there's been a push with this group to try and try in the past but this year, this group have just been chilling. They're just going out and playing."

"We've prepared for this. Winter, spring and summer because half of us work in the fall," said Mapleton senior first baseman and pitcher Emilee Dennison. "I think our hard work has been paying off for us, and it's nice to see that."

"We've worked for this. We also have seven seniors," said Mapleton senior shortstop Heidi Earl. "All of our seniors have played four years of varsity, so that helps."

Sanders says that the 2024 team is basically the same personnel − minus one senior − as the 2023 bunch, so the experience factor has played a small component is the team's success so far. However, Sanders points to three key factors as to why Mapleton has been off to the races during the first half of the season.

Pitching

You know what the old adage is in baseball: Good pitching will always beat good hitting.

There is some truth to that, and for Mapleton's case, it rings true.

"My No. 1 would be pitching," Sanders said. "This year it seems like we're a little more focused, relaxed and mature."

Sanders points to Dennison, his No. 1 starter, and how she's led the way.

"Emilee has pitched most of our games," he said. "She's been hitting her spots and just the mental aspect. She's been bringing it this year. Audrey Hellickson and Kelsi Clark, who are both sophomores, have thrown many innings for us, too."

Dennison has a 9-1 record on the season and in four of her last six starts, she's given up just one earned run or less.

"I think working with my catcher Holly [Earl] has helped me a lot," Dennison explained. "We have really good chemistry, so I know if she calls a pitch, I know to trust her and trust what my coaches call, too."

Good health

"No. 2 would be we're healthy," Sanders said. "Last year we had the same exact team, but we weren't healthy. Heidi Earl could hit, but she was not allowed to play shortstop because of a shoulder injury. That changed the dynamic of everything."

"I had some shoulder problems last year, so I was only able to hit," Earl said. "I'm able to play both ways this year."

"She was out last year because of her shoulder. We had to adjust a little bit," Dennison said. "Heidi's been our shortstop since freshman year, so that was a big change last year."

Not only does having Earl back at shortstop fortify the infield defense but it just adds to an Mounties offense that has been extremely good.

In eight of Mapleton's 12 wins, the Mounties have scored double-digit runs, with four games where they've scored 15 or more runs. During their current four-game winning streak, the Mounties are averaging 15.5 runs per game, and during that four-game stretch Earl has 10 RBIs to her name.

"Just staying on the gas and keeping it going," Earl said, on the Mounties building big leads throughout games and not letting up. "That's something we try to focus on. Not giving up a bad inning. You always have a bad inning here or there."

"Our lineup is really hard to beat," Dennison said. "One through nine we're all good hitters. We have bench players that are eager to get in and get a hit. The competition among the team to get better is helping us. Our team looks at it like instead of getting our stats, we help get our RBIs and get each other in."

Sanders said his team doesn't hit many home runs and won't be mistaken for a power-hitting team, yet they thrive in putting the ball in play plenty.

"We hit the ball really well. When we stay in our zone, which is something we've worked on, we're tough," added Sanders. "We don't hit a lot of home runs, especially at home. The wind blows straight in, so we're not hitting any home runs. We strive on line drives and ground balls. Putting the pressure on the other team to make plays."

Familiarity

"No. 3 thing would be all these girls are friends," Sanders said. "So, drama is non-existent."

Sanders notes because his players are all pretty close and that they've played together for sometime, that's helped build accord amongst the team. With friendship, also builds familiarity.

Still, in order for Mapleton to capture their first Firelands Conference title since 2015, Sanders says his team will need to keep the play up on the defensive side.

"The biggest thing for us is communication on defense," he said. "If we play solid defense, I trust our bats will keep us in any game."

"I think we're right where we want to be," Dennison said. "I think there's more to get done. We have a couple of big games left."

"It's been a while," Earl said, on the nine years since the Mounties last league title. "Trying to give it our best and finish strong in conference."

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Mapleton softball is off to a torrid start to the season