Lessons learned from 2023 have taught Walsh Jesuit softball that a 2024 title is in sight
Sometimes misfortune can be a blessing in disguise.
When elite pitcher Natalie Susa went down last season with a knee injury it could have been the end of the Walsh Jesuit softball team in 2023.
Instead, it may be the very thing that helps the Warriors win a state title in 2024.
“I think what last year did was it forced everyone to step up and kind of become assets to the team,” Walsh coach Tony Scibelli said. “For the last two years prior, Natalie really was the driving force behind the team and really had a lot of the burden placed on her, and she did a great job with that. But with her gone, it forced several different people to step up.”
Akron commit McKayla McGee did a phenomenal job in the circle, but so did Army commit Sienna Tepley, Kent State commit Caleigh Shaulis, then three-year starter Bri Wise and All-Northeast Ohio selection Zoey Schmitt.
Whatever that team needed, they found it throughout the lineup on the way to a regional final.
Yes, Susa, who will pitch for Minnesota next season, was there, but it was in a support role.
“I really think that it was a neat experience,” Susa said. “It was probably not something that I thought would happen or wish to happen, but I think it was really cool to see the team just come out and kind of pick up my back.
“The team excelled, and that really helped me to stay positive and just want to get back out there with them. It was just cool to kind of see the team start working and really reaching that peak in May, just like Coach always asks us to do.”
Will a regional final loss mean a Walsh state softball final appearance?
That season ended with an 11-1 loss to eventual state champion Austintown Fitch in the Region 1 final, but it showed the Warriors just how strong they were as a unit. Walsh finished 16-7 but hit its stride at the right time.
“We just have that championship mindset,” Shaulis said. “Like Coach always says, ‘Let’s be legendary. We all have the same goal in mind, and that's what is really great about Walsh.”
Back at 100 percent, the Warriors certainly have state in their sight.
Susa and McGee have each already thrown one-hit shutouts. McGee belted a walk off grand slam in Florida to beat Holland Springfield 8-7 and the squad has put together a 19-hit game.
The numbers show how good Walsh Jesuit softball is this season
Shaulis (.714), Schmitt (.611), Tepley (.579, home run), McGee (.526, two home runs, 14 RBIs), Brooklyn Marchette (.500, three home runs, 10 RBIs) and Renee Brown (.421, 11 RBIs) are off to unbelievable starts.
Susa (3-0, 37 strikeouts) and McGee (3-0, 27 strikeouts) are dealing, and the Warriors entered Thursday undefeated in six games.
“If someone is having a bad game, we know there’s always someone there that picks us right back up," McGee said. "We’re always going to be cheering for each other no matter what. The chemistry just is always spot on.”
Where that chemistry takes the Warriors remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see them playing on the final weekend of the season.
“We're just trying to be us,” Scibelli said. “We're trying to play our game, and if we do that and we continue having the fun we're having, we're going to have a good season.
“I would think that certainly we are one of the top four teams in our region that would probably be in contention to go to state. I think it's because we have a great mix of experience. We're very defensively sound, and we have two great pitchers, so I would think that would make us a team to watch for sure.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh Jesuit High School softball has OHSAA state title aspirations
