Persistence helped Rylee Stephenson regain her form for Cheyenne East

Apr. 10—CHEYENNE — Rylee Stephenson was understandably angry when her role with Cheyenne East's softball team was greatly reduced last spring.

The junior got 60 at-bats and pitched 11 2/3 innings during her freshman campaign, but self-admitted struggles at the plate resulted in 33 at-bats across 13 of the Thunderbirds' 28 games during her sophomore season. Stephenson also pitched just 10 2/3 innings while battling a pinched nerve in her right elbow.

"At first, I thought I wasn't good enough and I couldn't get better," she said. "I was trying, but I didn't have anything to show for it. That's when I realized my head wasn't right.

"You're not going to get better if you're not thinking positively. I was still playing third base, so I was doing that right. I didn't have much time to think about not pitching and not hitting when I was playing third."

Stephenson kept working and rebuilt her swing. She also did physical therapy on her injured right elbow.

East is benefitting from Stephenson's efforts. To say she has been on a tear to start the season would be an understatement.

Stephenson struck out 22 batters across three starts for the top-ranked T-Birds last week. That included a complete game no-hitter against Cheyenne South. Stephenson also went 7-for-20 at the plate with a double, two home runs and nine RBI.

Those efforts helped East go 6-0 on the week. They also earned Stephenson Prep Athlete of the Week honors from WyoSports' Cheyenne staff.

"I had no idea I had thrown a no-hitter until after the game," Stephenson said. "I thought I had given up four or so hits. Most pitchers think they have to be perfect when the game starts.

"I just go out there and try to pitch to contact and trust that the people behind me are going to make plays. That's my approach every game. I just want to hit my spots and let the ball do what it's going to do."

T-Birds coach Adam Galicia noticed Stephenson gaining confidence as she split time between his Cheyenne Extreme under-18 club team and WYCO Academy's club team last summer. That confidence has carried over into the high school season.

"It's a night-and-day difference," Galicia said. "I always try to be honest with players about where they're at and also where they could be. We tried to build her up and let her know what was possible if she kept working.

"I could tell she was in such a tough place mentally last year. But she is in such a positive place right now that nothing is phasing her."

Stephenson sought a lot of advice during her quest to get her bat to be just as potent at the prep level as it always had been with her club teams. That resulted in conflicting messages.

"I had some people saying, 'This is wrong and that is wrong,'" she said. "Then there were others who said, 'No, those two things are fine, but this and that is wrong.' Not much of it was the same.

"I had to think about the things they said that were the same and really break down what I was doing and find what worked best for me."

Stephenson compared video from some of her best performances with the bat and some from last year's high school season. It was then she saw how tall she was standing in the batter's box and during her swing.

"I was tracking pitches well, but I was standing tall, getting over pitches and rolling over everything," Stephenson said. "I needed to stay down and stay back."

Staying in an athletic posture throughout her swing allowed Stephenson to tap back into power generated by her lower body while keeping her bat in the strike zone longer, Galicia said.

"She's got great bat speed and great power, but she wasn't staying down or keeping her head on the ball long enough," the coach said. "She's doing a good job of staying down and keeping her eye on the ball all the way through.

"You can see the results. Her stats are telling the whole story now."

Stephenson is batting .410 (16-for-39), which is fourth on East's team among everyday players. She has four doubles, two home runs and 17 RBI. Her homer and RBI totals are both third-best on the team.

In the pitcher's circle, Stephenson has logged a team-best 31 innings and a 6-1 record. Her 43 strikeouts are the second-most in the entire state.

Although Stephenson has been a starter this season, Galicia feels comfortable inserting her into the circle whenever East needs outs.

"I always tell my pitchers, 'I don't want to be able to tell whether we're up 10 runs or down 10 based on looking at you,'" Galicia said. "She is so even-keeled and always has the same determined look the whole time. She never shows her displeasure.

"She might be hurting, or something may not be going right, but she still has the same look on her face, and she's still working her butt off. She's a quiet leader and has a great work ethic. She comes out here to get her work done and lead by example."

Stephenson agrees with Galicia's assessment that she's playing with more confidence this spring. She is trusting the work she puts in, and has stopped seeking external validation.

"Instead of needing to find confidence from other people telling me that I'm doing good, I know when I'm doing good," she said. "I'm self-assured, and feel like I can do what I do and get the job done. Going through failure got me there.

"Last year, I'd get up to the plate and I didn't trust myself to do the job. Working on the mechanics of everything gave me confidence. I feel like I can fix whatever I'm doing wrong."

Others recognized for their efforts include:

n Madi Birt, Katie Hinz and Porcha Kammerman, softball, Cheyenne Central: Birt, a junior, went 7-of-14 with seven RBI to help the Indians go 1-3 on the week.

Hinz, a senior, was 5-of-12 at the plate with a triple, a home run and three RBI. She posted a 1-2 record in the pitcher's circle, striking out 15 in eight innings pitched.

Kammerman, a sophomore, was 7-for-14 with a double, a triple, four home runs and 10 RBI.

n Aleah Brooks, Alexa Luethy and Gracie Oswald, softball, Cheyenne East: Brooks, a junior, went 7-for-8 with a double, two home runs and nine RBI to help the Thunderbirds go 6-0 on the week.

Luethy, a sophomore, was 6-of-11 with a double and seven RBI.

Oswald, a senior, went 12-for-22 with three doubles and 10 RBI.

n Nadia Burdett and Taliah Morris, girls track and field, East: Burdett, a junior, won the 100-meter hurdles (16.08 seconds) and placed second in triple jump (36 feet, 6 inches) at the Okie Blanchard Invitational.

Morris, a senior, won the 100-meter dash (12.31) and long jump (19-2 1/4 ).

n Gabby Cortez, girls soccer, Cheyenne South: The sophomore goalkeeper tallied 26 saves across two matches, including 14 saves during a 1-0 victory over Thunder Basin.

n Logan Custis, boys soccer, Central: The senior scored four goals and assisted on another to help the Indians beat Sheridan and Campbell County.

n Jessica Hoffman, girls track and field, Pine Bluffs: The junior tossed the discus 115 feet, 2 inches to win the Okie Blanchard Invitational. She also cleared 5-2 to split first in high jump.

n Aiden Mitchell, boys soccer, South: The junior goalkeeper had 24 saves across two matches as the Bison went 0-2 on the week.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on X at @jjohnke.