How sophomore Nora Bethuy is helping a veteran-led defending state champion
CADILLAC ― Injuries can derail even the most talented teams.
While that seems obvious, there are teams overloaded with talent that, if the injury bug reared its head, could survive without one or two key players.
Gaylord softball, the defending Division 2 state champions and the top-ranked softball team in Michigan regardless of division, seemingly fits into that category; they basically proved it last season, winning a state title with Virginia Tech signee and Miss Softball contender Jayden Jones sidelined with a broken hand.
But of course, tempt the injury bug and it will bite you; months before their attempt at back-to-back state championships got started, senior Avery Parker went down with a torn ACL during the girls basketball season, effectively ending her Blue Devils athletic career. While it was a devastating blow to the basketball team at the time, it was also possibly the one injury that could affect a team like Gaylord softball.
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Last season, Gaylord had four pitchers that could start against any team (Parker, Abby Radulski, Jayden Jones, Aubrey Jones), so one injury didn't make much of a difference. However, with Parker's injury and Radulski graduated, Jayden and Aubrey Jones were the only players with experience in the circle entering the 2024 season.
Gaylord may have been fine with the Jones sisters starting every game in the circle this season, but with the goals this team has, along with the workload that comes with winning a state title, the coaching staff felt more comfortable with a three-pitcher rotation. But who would fill that third spot?
Welcome in Nora Bethuy.
Just a sophomore, Bethuy got a taste of varsity action (literally) in last year's Division 2 state finals, chipping her tooth on the Secchia Stadium home plate after scoring a run as a courtesy runner. Now, the sophomore is stepping into a larger role as the No. 3 pitcher in the rotation in 2024, and doing so seamlessly.
"Nora has been great, she's stepped in and we haven't missed a beat," said coach Greg Jones.
The sister of Gaylord baseball's Will Bethuy, Nora has been finding her way onto the bigger stages already in her young GHS career, helping the 2023 softball team on their state title run as a freshman while playing big minutes as a guard for the girls basketball team this season as a sophomore, taking on an even bigger role after Parker's injury.
Still, nothing she's done has compared to this, now a key member of a team on the hunt for a second-straight state title, and yet she's handled it in stride.
She's seen nearly 26 innings of work over seven appearances already in 2024 and, after another win in Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of Cadillac, she now has a 3-1 record with 16 strikeouts and a 5.45 earned run average.
Her offense has been pretty good as well, sitting on a .345 batting average with a home run, 15 runs scored and 10 runs batted in.
While it hasn't been a one-to-one replacement for Parker, Bethuy's presence both in the circle and in the lineup takes some of the pressure off of their top players and a reliable third arm in the rotation that gives the Jones sisters a bit of rest.
Offensively, Gaylord is still loaded; they've already scored 195 runs and hit 27 home runs through 14 games in 2024 as they've stormed out to a 12-2 record. But without Parker, having a player like Bethuy step seamlessly into a big role like she has could make a big difference in a state title run.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: How Nora Bethuy is helping defending state champion Gaylord softball
