Suiting up on the Turkey Valley varsity softball team for 2023 are (front, l-r) Abigail Schmitt, Jacqlyn Schmitt, Alison Leibold, Brianna Busta, Aubrey Hoffert, Olivia Snyder, Sierra Morris, Clare Courtney; (back row) Coach Jeremey Weber, Coach Anthony Troyna, Sofia Rivera, Mariah Throndson, Halle Weber, Maici Weber, Morgan Vsetecka, Kinsey Reicks and Coach Alvin Hackman. (Photo courtesy of Tammy Vrzak)
The Turkey Valley softball team this year is led by head coach Alvin Hackman, who is entering his sixth season at Turkey Valley. Since the Trojans lost three seniors that greatly contributed to the team’s success last year, they will be forced to adjust.
Last year, the Trojans ended the season with a record of 18-8, along with a conference record of 14-2, which was good enough to win the conference championship. Unfortunately, their season came to an end when they were beaten by a score of 2-3 in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs to the Don Bosco Dons.
When it comes to hitting, the team had a .333 batting average, a 0.416 on-base percentage, as well as a .440 slugging percentage. As far as pitching is concerned, the team had a 3.50 earned run average and an average of 1.94 walks and hits per inning pitched.
Looking forward
This year, the Trojans have eight seniors, which is nearly three times as many seniors as the team had last year, when they had three seniors.
Coach Hackman said that it is the “Oldest team I’ve had with eight seniors. Considerable experience in all fielding positions.”
Though the Trojans lost three valuable players to graduation, there is still plenty of talent left on the team. Last year, freshman Maici Weber, who was an eighth grader at the time, led the team in all three major batting statistics. She led the team with a .507 batting average, along with a .551 on-base percentage and a .681 slugging percentage.
Concerning pitching, Josie Weber, who was one of three seniors last year, led the team with a 1.53 earned run average, along with an average of just 1.04 walks and hits per inning pitched. The two players that are expected to take over pitching duties this year are senior Sierra Morris and junior Halle Weber.
When asked about some of the team’s concerns, Coach Hackman highlighted pitching as his main concern.
“Josie [Weber] threw about 70 percent of all our innings last year. We need a couple pitchers to show that they want the ball when things get tight,” he noted.
Despite this, he still has a positive outlook on the season ahead.
“I like the chemistry our team has so far. Everyone seems to be supportive of each other and having fun. We have a very tough non-conference schedule this year. Hopefully it helps us improve throughout the season and make a long run come tournament time,” added Coach Hackman.
He also expects the Trojans to be “towards the top” of the conference standings this year. The favorites to win the conference are the Kee High Hawks, the North Fayette Valley TigerHawks, and of course the Turkey Valley Trojans, the reigning conference champions.
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