First Posted: 4/3/2015
BATH TOWNSHIP — The 2014 Bath softball season didn’t necessarily follow the script … because the script itself didn’t go far enough.
That became obvious in Akron last June when the Wildkittens knocked off Jonathan Alder 7-2 for the Division II state championship, putting an exclamation point on a 29-1 season.
“We did the goal-setting at the beginning of the year and we didn’t even consider that as an option,” said Hannah Slavin, entering her second season as Bath’s head coach. “It was an incredible journey.”
And while the encore for many high school teams might include a talent and/or experience drop off — aka: rebuilding — Bath enters it’s follow-up performance with an overflow of talent, experience and team chemistry.
The 2015 Wildkittens return eight seniors, seven of whom started last year, and nine letterwinners — including the entire infield and two outfielders.
“There’s not a lot of pressure, we’ve played together since we were little,” senior returning shortstop Kara Dienstberger said. “We know how we all work together. We know each other’s throws on defense and how we can work together in our batting. We’ll be fine.”
The stats certainly back that up. The offense scored nearly seven runs per game a year ago to go with a .335 batting average . On defense, the Wildkittens were superb with a fielding percentage of .973 and just 22 errors.
“We have a really good connection and some really powerful hitters,” senior center fielder/left fielder Carly Frey said.
“We’ve grown up together and we’ve watched everyone go through the program. It’s just a tradition. Having good seniors leads to having good seniors year after year.”
And while these seniors added some major big-game experience to their resumes last year, so did the coach, who set the bar way high. Slavin’s rookie coaching season included guiding the program to its 20th Western Buckeye League title, WBL Coach of the Year honors, its seventh trip to state and its second state title.
The season also offered plenty of learning.
“I’m more comfortable in teaching the girls and assisting them in knowing more situations that are going to arise,” Slavin said. “Last year, we had a few situations come up and we were like: We haven’t talked about that. Now we’ve been through that and we have great senior leadership to remind me of things.”
One thing Slavin hasn’t experienced is replacing the irreplaceable. Bath graduated two major catalysts: Pitcher Kimmy Reynolds and leadoff batter/outfielder Jenna Hollar.
Hollar batted .440, scored 41 runs and reached the OHSAA state record book with 47 stolen bases — 25th on the all-time list.
Meanwhile, Reynolds was unreal. The four-year starter — now at Tiffin University — was the WBL Player of the Year and set Bath records in winning percentage (.965), victories (28 – ninth on the OHSAA state record list), strikeouts (261) and ERA (.895).
“Having Kimmy here was a blessing,” said Julia Miller, a senior who will earn her fourth letter this season after leading the team in batting average (.473) and RBIs (44) last year.
But while the majority of her defensive career was spent catching Reynolds, Miller now takes over as the team’s No. 1 pitcher. Abby Cosart, a sophomore lefty, will be the No. 2 pitcher and Ellie Dackin will catch Miller.
“It’s a little bit overwhelming,” said Miller, who put in a ton of offseason pitching work. “I learned a lot from Kimmy, from her spins and how to carry yourself. You could just tell by her confidence out there, she knew what she was doing.”
A year ago, Miller – more of an offspeed/breaking ball pitcher – threw in doubleheaders and finished with 17 innings and a 3.70 ERA. And while it might seem overwhelming, three years of varsity experience and a strong cast around her is a huge help.
“Julia’s work ethic is through the roof,” Slavin said. “She understands the game from the catching perspective and that leads to the pitching.
“Julia is in a tough position because she knows pitching isn’t her primary spot and she knows when she goes to college that’s not what she’s going to have to do. But we’re really proud of her for stepping up and doing in the offseason what’s best for our team.”
