Softball Preview: Emerging team looks for way back to post-season

The 2017 Niwot softball season was memorable, but not for the any of the right reasons. With barely enough players to field a complete varsity lineup and just one experienced pitcher, last year’s youthful squad struggled against the powerhouse programs in the Northern League, and their dearth of veteran talent was painfully obvious at times. The Cougars finished the season with an unimpressive 6-13 record and missed the playoffs for the third straight year.

Heading into 2018, head coach Bobby Matthews says his program is on the upswing thanks to several factors, including a renewed commitment from his returning players.

“We’ve been working out three days per week all summer, both in the weight room and on the field,” he said. “I hope that the work shows. We averaged 14 girls there every single time, so we had a lot of kids come in, and that’s important to me that they were able to build something, and it also showed me that last year didn’t sit well with them.”

The program is already off to a better start numbers-wise. More than 20 girls will suit up for the Cougars this season, giving them more than enough for a junior varsity team, another hopeful sign for the future, according to Matthews.

“Not having a JV doesn’t hurt you in that season, but it’s going to hurt you down the road,” he said. “The JV is about girls who have never played before, so they’re getting out of their comfort zone and becoming part of the Niwot tradition. We had a lot of girls last year sitting on the bench, not getting at-bats and not getting playing time, and that’s not fair to them.”

The 2018 Cougars will feature a mix of battle-tested veterans and fresh new talent that should have the team back in post-season contention. According to Matthews, the Cougars will once again be a hard-hitting team, much as they have been in the past.

“Niwot’s identity every year is offense,” Matthews said. “We always hit well. We hit well last year. We just really couldn’t stop anyone else from hitting.”

Returning starters include seniors Caitlyn Schriener, Mary Yao, and Savannah Rafkin, a fourth-year varsity player who is the only player remaining from the 2015 playoff team. Last season, she was one of the team’s most prolific hitters, with 31 hits and 25 RBI.

Also coming back is a sizable contingent of juniors, headed by standout Reagan Wills, another of Niwot’s big hitters. As a sophomore, she went 30-for-59 (.508), with 30 hits and 22 RBI. She also scored 23 runs. Pressed into service behind the plate, Wills was also one of the most effective players on defense, with just three errors. In 2018, Wills will be back to her spot at shortstop, where she earned all-conference honors as a freshman.

“I expect Reagan to be who she has been,” Matthews said of the voluble Wills, who has been one of the more high-profile players over the past two seasons. “I’m not going to put too much pressure on her to be amazing, I just want her to do her job. She’s hit basically .500 two years in a row, so if she has the same steady improvement that she had from freshman and sophomore year, then I expect her to be right at the top of the conference.”

Like her coach, Wills believes the team is poised for success this season.

“I’ve been seeing more passion and fire,” she said. “We know we’re a lot better than we’ve been for the past two years, and I think we’re starting to realize this is our year. We need to go to regionals and make it as far as we can. I think we’re going to do that.”

Juniors Nikki Sims, Calista Law, Ashton Jones, and Esme O’Rourke are also back with the team this year. Sims, who will be back in centerfield, hit safely in all 19 games last year, and ended the season with 36 hits in 70 at-bats. Law will also be returning to a more familiar position in the outfield, while O’Rourke will be an infielder and back-up pitcher.

Matthews is especially excited about his newcomers this season, including a pair of transfers from Class 4A champion Mountain View. Sophomore Aliyah McComas will handle full-time pitching duties for Niwot, while her younger sister Ayva will be behind the plate. Freshman Jasmine Aldama will also get some time on the mound.

“Aliyah’s going to offer a lot of consistency, in the zone, changing speeds,” he said. “It’s going to be good to have her here this year, so we won’t have to throw someone in there, like last year.”

Ultimately, Matthews hopes having players back in familiar positions will give the team more confidence on defense.

“We’re focused on minimizing damage,” he said. “We’re going to make mistakes; that’s ok. We just can’t make the same mistake over and over again. So we have to minimize the damage and make sure we have a short-term memory and move on to the next play.”

Longtime Niwot softball fans will notice some changes to the Cougars’ schedule. Matthews made a few tweaks to the non-conference schedule that should make the Cougars more competitive, and the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) also expanded the sport’s regular season schedule from 19 to 23 games.

Assisting Matthews this season are longtime coach Jason Johnson and McKenzie Thorne, a former Niwot player who will be “a great fit” as this year’s JV coach.

Overall, Matthews said the Niwot softball program is in a much better place than it was a year ago, thanks to the painful lessons of last year’s painful season.

“Last year taught them how to grind,” he said. “It taught them how to be mentally tough. It taught them that life isn’t always butterflies and rainbows, and there’s some hardships, and how you handle it is more important than wins and losses. Now you know what you need to do to get to the next step.”