Sweet 16: Niwot softball suiting up for shortened season

A shortened 16-game season and limited varsity roster will only heighten the excitement for Niwot High School softball this fall. Coming off a 12-14 season, Coach Bobby Matthews leads a young roster into what will be, one way or another, a historic 2020 season.

Per the Colorado High School Athletic Association's (CHSAA) COVID-19 regulations, there will be no non-conference matchups and only 16 guaranteed games opposed to the usual 23 games. That means Niwot will only be facing teams from the newly formed Longs Peak League, which includes Berthoud, Frederick, Fort Morgan, Mountain View, Northridge, Riverdale Ridge, Roosevelt, Severance, and Thompson Valley. With a shorter schedule, Matthews highlighted the increased importance of every game.

"We're going to have to really focus and buckle down because each game is worth about 1.4 games in the old schedule," Matthews said. "Every win is important. From pitch one to the last pitch, we have to play to win."

He will also have to deal with the COVID-19 regulation of a maximum of 12 players on the varsity roster and no "swing" players splitting time on junior varsity. Although he will be "conscious" of the new rule, Matthews said he has always carried around 12 girls on the roster and the regulation may not affect the Cougars as much as other teams. Niwot's JV squad will play a similar schedule, but players will not move back and forth.

One of his more experienced leaders will be third-year starter Ayva McComas. The junior shortstop has already played over 50 career games in two years at Niwot with a batting average over .500 both seasons.

"I expect her to have a huge year," Matthews said. "Her leadership this year has been pretty phenomenal. She (has) really stepped up in that aspect and (she's) a great role model for all the kids."

Other junior offensive players to watch will be infielder Jasmine Aldama and utility player Hannah Bassett. Leadership will be key for a team that graduated seven seniors in 2019 and Matthews is also confident in Bassett's ability.

"She (Bassett) has a positive attitude (and) great leadership," Matthews said. "(She) really came on a little bit last year, struggled a little bit offensively, but has looked much better this year."

On the younger side, Matthews is high on freshman pitcher Anna Booth and sophomore Zoie Chociej. Chociej, who Matthews plans on moving from left field to catcher, batted .259 while playing nearly every game a year ago.

Playing through a pandemic, Matthews will be required to coach with a mask and wants to keep safety a priority on his team. The Cougars are joining the Longs Peak League this season and don't want to make a bad first impression.

"We owe it to the rest of the athletes in the state to do it the right way," Matthews said. "If we don't do it right, other people may be shut down and we can't be the cause of that and we don't want to be shut down... Above all, we want to make sure that everybody starts the season healthy and ends the season healthy."

Jason Johnson will return for his eighth season as a varsity assistant coach, and Mackenzie Thorne is back for her third year as JV coach.