By RICHIE HALL
WESTFIELD – When softball players talk about making adjustments, usually that has something to do with how they hit the ball.
Sometimes players have to make adjustments in the field as well. That was the case for Westfield’s outfield players on Tuesday when they joined the Shamrocks team in hosting a regional for the first time.
Westfield won the regional 6-2 over Western and the outfielders did their part. Left fielder Reese Mahannah, center fielder Makayla Watson and right fielder Dylan Todd all contributed to the Shamrocks’ historic victory.
“I think they all did fantastic,” said Dory Thompson, the Rocks assistant coach who focuses on fielding. “Dylan was pretty solid with a couple catches in right, Makayla with a diving catch in center. Reese almost had [a runner] out at home. Altogether, I thought they did awesome.”
All three outfielders are seniors and remembered their freshman season when Westfield won its first-ever sectional championship. The Shamrocks went on the road to Harrison and lost a close game 4-3.
“I remember it was heart-breaking,” said Watson. “So, to come out this and do this and not squeak by, but command the game is definitely a great feeling.”
Turf to grass
Westfield won the sectional championship last week with three wins at Zionsville’s turf field. The Shamrocks played their regional game on their own field, with a grass and dirt field. Todd said switching between the two fields “is a big difference. I think we do a good job of having to adjust to that, where the ball is going to go.”
“This grass is super thick, and the way it’s mowed, it’s kind of squiggly, so the ball was jumping in different ways,” said Mahannah. “You have to stay behind it and use your body. The turf, you can get a clear bounce, but on the grass, it can hit the lip and go past you, so you have to be ready for anything.”
“You can’t really predict grass as much as you can predict turf,” said Watson. “Yesterday when we practiced, we told our coach we wanted balls on the ground, because that’s what we needed to work on because we haven’t really seen it in a while.”
Whether the field is turf or grass, one thing the outfielders and their coach do in practice involves preparation, both physical and mental.
“We took a lot of reps before the game on the ground, in the air, catches that we didn’t think we’d be able to make,” said Mahannah. “We lay out, we practice diving before the game. Everything to get us ready for whatever may happen.”
Watson talked about the mental part of the game, which involves being aggressive – “we want every ball hit to us,” she said. “Just knowing that and attacking everything and just going all out really helps us out there.”
“My first year of coaching was their freshman year, so I’ve had four solid years to be able to work with them,” said Thompson. “So, it’s really just repetitions and working on the small things.”
All three outfielders contributed on the offensive side as well. Todd was 2-for-2 and scored two runs, while Mahannah and Watson both had one hit, with Mahannah batting in a run.
“We knew we didn’t want to let up,” said Watson. “We wanted to still come out strong. We wanted this win just as bad as we wanted the sectional win. And our coaches prepared us for it.”
“We were really prepared,” said Todd. “Throughout the entire season, we’ve been building up as a team and doing all the work we can to get here.”
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