Fourth-year coach LaDawn Showers is leading an Ithaca softball team that was 15-12 during the regular season but is looking forward to the future.
The team has plenty of talent on the roster, including Madison Riley, junior shortstop in her third year on varsity. She is having a phenomenal season, batting .448 and leading the squad. She has an on-base percentage of .500 and has hit a home run and several extra base hits.
“She’s a very reliable offensive player,” Showers said. “She has definitely improved. She’s improved a little more offensively. She’s not so concerned with hitting the fences. Our goal is to get on base and score. She’s more focused on that as her immediate job. Very often, she gets more than one base.”
The team features just two seniors, the Densmore twins, Kali and Cassie.
“They’re both very solid offensively and defensively,” Showers said. “They’re always in the lineup. They’re our captains and provide steady and positive leadership. I’ll miss them. They’ll be leaving a void when they graduate.”
Kali is third baseman and catcher, and Cassie is second baseman.
Also having an extraordinary season is Liz Bentley, who’s batting .410 with a on-base percentage of 471. “Almost half the time, she’s making it to first base,” Showers said. “For a freshman, that’s outstanding. For anyone, that’s outstanding.”
Riley and the others were able to help the softball program display plenty of improvement this season.
“We’re definitely having a strong rebuilding year,” Showers said. “Last year, we only had six wins the entire season. We definitely have a stronger lineup overall. I have to attribute a great deal of improvement to our incoming freshman class. I have five freshmen in my starting lineup. They’ve played a lot of softball. They were green to the varsity level at the beginning of the season. They are catching on very quickly.”
Showers had a freshman, Kylee Chaffin, pitch two recent no-hitters.
Showers is looking for her team to have a strong ending to the league race. “Our league, TVC West, there are no one or two dominant teams,” she said. “The teams in the middle of the road are good teams. Nobody is weak in our league like in past years. You can’t say that about anybody. The league is improving. It’s created an interesting situation the TVC West. You can’t overlook anyone. Carrollton, a sixth-place team last year, beat Valley Lutheran, which has dominated our league for years.”