No waiting around, Kingsway softball advances in South Jersey Group 4 tournament

WOOLWICH – The way the Kingsway Regional High School softball team is playing these days, the quicker the Dragons can get on the diamond, the better.

While the majority of sectional quarterfinals were scheduled for Tuesday, Kingsway had no desire to play the waiting game.

Playing on Friday afternoon, the defending South Jersey Group 4 champion checked into the semifinal round with a 5-0 win over Cherokee in a rematch of last year’s title game.

“We have a lot of momentum going on right now, we wanted to keep that going,” Kingsway head coach Jill Ward said. “We also didn’t want to come off the Memorial Day weekend and play the next day. Now, the girls have have some fun this weekend."

Sophomore Reese Whitzell added, “We were hyped about playing the game earlier, we just wanted to keep things rolling.”

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Top-seeded Kingsway (23-2) will host Egg Harbor Township (19-9) in Wednesday’s semifinal. EHT also chose to play its quarterfinal on Friday.

The two teams played one of the best games of the season on April 20 when Kingsway prevailed with a 2-1 win in eight innings.

The semifinal game will also be played a day earlier than it's required to be contested. That's because the Egg Harbor Township prom is Thursday while Kingsway's prom is Friday. The championship is slated for Saturday.

Whitzell a whiz with bat, glove

The way Whitzell has played this season, the sophomore probably never wants to leave the diamond.

The sophomore went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBIs against Cherokee.

After batting .289 as a freshman, Whitzell tinkered with her swing with her club coach and hitting instructor Bryan Garrett. She’s hitting .385 this spring with eight doubles, four homers and 21 RBIs. She has driven in seven runs in her last four games.

“I feel like I gained a lot more power and I’m just more confident at the plate right now,” said Whitzell, who plays for the South Jersey Mystics 18 Nationals. “It was just fine-tuning my swing a little bit. (Garrett) helped me a lot. I had good mechanics, I just needed to fine-tune a couple of things to make it better.”

Whitzell’s work at the dish earned her a promotion earlier in the season as she moved from the bottom of the lineup to the No. 2 spot.

“She just took off when I move her up, it was like she was meant to be there,” Ward said. “She’s just a very different hitter now, a better swing than last year. She has really good pitch selection. She can get a bunt down when we need it and she can hit the long ball too.”

Whitzell set the tone early against Cherokee, roping a RBI double in the first inning to score Olivia Sciulli. Whitzell also scored on the play thanks to a throwing error.

While Whitzell’s bat has been a difference maker for the Dragons, it’s her glove that has frustrated opposing batters.

The shortstop made several nifty plays in the game, including a great turn on a 4-6-3 double play that killed a Cherokee rally in the second inning.

“Hands down the play of the game,” Ward said. “In the Steinert game (a 5-0 win on May 16), they probably hit 20 hard balls at her and she was flawless. Her defense just stops the other teams in their tracks. She’s just so smooth.”

What a month of May

When Cherokee limped to the end of April with three losses in its last four games of the month, a conference title seemed to be out of reach.

Then, May came around.

Cherokee rattled off seven straight wins and took up residency in the Olympic Conference American Division penthouse. It was the program’s first division title since 2019.

“The way we came on at the end of the season, the way they were able to put that run together in the Olympic Conference where every day is a battle, that’s what I’m going to remember about this team,” Cherokee coach Mary Madgey said.

“The end is always sad. Even if you win to end the season, it’s sad because it’s over. This group has a lot to be proud of. And we have a very bright future."

Cherokee finished its season at 15-9-1. The Chiefs’ starting lineup had five sophomores, including three of the first four hitters (Jordan Hreben, Kasey McNee and Luci Dandrea) and pitcher Cali Taylor.

Game notes

Kingsway sophomore Karsen Taylor had one of biggest knocks of the game. She came off the bench and delivered a two-out RBI single to increase the lead to 3-0 in the fourth.

“Carson is one of our four outfielders playing for three spots,” Ward said. “It’s tough when you’re not getting the playing time, but she came through there and put the game away in my mind.”

Taylor is hitting .400 (16-for-40) with 13 runs scored and eight RBIs.

Kingsway starter Jessa Pieters threw 5 1/3 innings of shutout softball while Ava Synder got the final five outs to preserve the gem.

McNee roped two doubles, including one off the left-field fence. One of the promising young hitters in the Olympic Conference, the sophomore batted .452 with 38 hits and 25 RBIs.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Defending South Jersey Group 4 champion Kingsway advances to semifinal round