By Cort Reynolds
New Ada High School varsity softball head coach Jeff Bassitt looks to lead a very young but promising program in 2022 and beyond.
Bassitt is optimistic that the youthful Lady Bulldogs can steadily improve with experience this spring after posting records of 13-12 overall and 2-6 in Northwest Conference play during 2021.
He coached the junior high team at Ada last year and has been active with the youth program, so he knows the young players in the program well. His wife and assistant coach Ann Ringler Bassitt was also a standout player at Ohio Northern in the 1990s.
"We are very young," he noted. "We have a lot of potential, and hope to gain experience and get better as the season goes along."
The 14-player roster features six returning letter winners and three starters. One senior, three juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen comprise the roster. Eight of the 14 are newcomers to the team.
Graduated first team All-NWC pitching and hitting ace Leona Dalton will be missed after carrying the pitching workload for three seasons. She set program records for wins and strikeouts.
Dalton struck out 239 batters in 151 innings last season, completing 23 games and winning 13. She also batted a team-high .448 with eight home runs and 35 runs batted in.
The coach's skilled freshman daughter Jenna Bassitt will shoulder much of the pitching load.
"We have big shoes to fill at pitcher," Bassitt admitted. "Jenna and Natilyn (McClain) will do most of the pitching."
He said Jenna mixes up her pitches well and has pretty good control with the ability to hit her spots. "But she is still a freshman," he added.
Several other experienced senior starters graduated, leaving competition for positions all over the diamond. Slugging second team All-NWC catcher Alexis Waugh, Kiersten Cortez (third base), honorable mention All-NWC center fielder Tori Green and Brenna George (middle infielder) all leave key positions to be filled.
Freshman Natilyn McClain will handle some of the catching duties, with junior southpaw Kayla Wince providing pitching depth.
McClain is also expected to pitch and defend in the infield and outfield.
Junior outfielder/infielder returning starter Kayla Wince is a natural left-handed hitter and thrower who is a solid slap-hitter with good speed.
"Being a lefty is a plus for her too when she pitches," Bassitt noted. Wince will probably see action at all three outfield positions.
Sophomore Katie Sizemore returns after starting most of last year at first base, where she slammed a couple of home runs. She may also play the crucial hot corner position of third base.
Powerful sophomore third sacker/designated player Daicy Robinson is a returning honorable mention All-NWC slugger. She is the team's most proven hitter back and possesses good gap to gap doubles power. She is also a home run threat.
"She is a solid hitter and a strength of our offense," said Bassitt. "But we have a lot of hitters."
Robinson is also slated to play some catcher as she learns the backstop position, and may defend a little in the outfield as well.
Versatile junior returnee Raeya Finn will again see action in the outfield, at third base and as a backup catcher. "She can hit and make contact," said the coach.
Veteran returnee Morgan Dirmeyer could see time in the outfield. She is the team's lone senior and is another letter winner back.
Improved sophomore Karmen Hall possesses good speed, and could play some outfield after serving regularly as a pinch-runner last spring. Hall will also see action in the outfield and at second base as a utility player. She is the sixth and last letter winner returning to the fold.
"Karmen has made a lot of strides in just her second season playing softball," Bassitt noted.
Solid-fielding freshman Belah Price will also see action at third base, handling the important hot corner position. Finn and Sizemore will likely also play some third base.
Junior newcomer Emilee Huffer (OF), sophomore newcomer Jenna Rodrigues (OF) and promising freshmen Aidra Preston (2B/SS), Tessa Griffith (OF), and Karley Wagner (SS/2B) round out the roster. All are expected to make major contributions.
Huffer did not play the last two seasons but has shown promise at the plate and in the outfield defensively, says Bassitt. "She is an athlete, and with experience could be really good. She has potential," he noted.
Versatile Preston can play the middle infield and first base positions. Wagner will also handle the middle infield spots. Promising Griffith looks to hold down a corner outfield position.
Quick freshman Jenna Bassitt will also play shortstop and some outfield when she isn't pitching. McClain will be the number two starter, with Wince serving as the third starter.
"Natilyn has gained a lot of experience playing summer travel ball," said the coach. "We have a young group of pitchers, and it boils down to pitching experience (regarding improvement)."
Team speed and baserunning look to be strengths for the 2022 Bulldog girls. "We have five to seven girls who can run really well, and our fielding at times has looked good in scrimmages," Bassitt offered. "We hope fielding will be a strength, but we are replacing seven starters on defense, so it will take time."
The team possesses several interchangeable defenders, making for a versatile roster in the field.
The young Lady Bulldog squad hopes to improve upon its sixth-place 2021 finish in the tough Northwest Conference race this spring.
"We have a strong group coming up that was 10-1 last year in eighth grade, and went undefeated in the NWC," Bassitt noted. "We are a young team, and the kids are working hard. We are a work in progress."
Lincolnview edged perennial power Crestview (7-1) in the league season finale to win the 2021 NWC crown at 8-0. Departed Paulding came in third at 6-2, and has been replaced by a solid Leipsic squad.
Graduated from the powerful Lancer lineup is 2021 NWC Player of the Year slugger Destiny Coil, but senior first team all-leaguer Kendall Bollenbacher and sophomore first team All-NWC pitcher Taylor Post return.
Allen East finished fourth in the NWC at 5-3, followed by Columbus Grove (4-4). AE returns a strong battery in junior second team all-league hurler Nikki Thaxton and sophomore first team All-NWC catcher Savana Brooks, as well as other key players to contend for the league title.
Delphos Jefferson and Bluffton each finished in a tie with Ada at 2-6, while winless Spencerville finished last. Surrendering an 11-run sixth inning, upset-minded Ada lost 17-3 to the champion Lancers, and were shut out 5-0 by the Mustangs and Thaxton last spring at home.
The Bulldogs beat the Pirate girls 5-1 and rallied past the Bearcats 12-5 on the road in league play to provide their two NWC wins.
Bassitt expects Lincolnview, Crestview and AE to be the teams to beat in the league race. "The NWC is very tough in softball; even the Ada team that won the district title (2018) did not win the league title," he pointed out.
That renowned Bulldog squad finished 17-9 with a school single-season record total for wins, yet ended up fourth in the NWC at 5-3 behind champion Spencerville (7-1), Paulding and Crestview (6-2 each).
Former Ada all-league catcher Sydney Newland was a standout on that team, and she rounds out the assistant coaches on the four-person staff along with ex-USV player Rob Overs.
"Our goal is to compete in every game," said Bassitt. "We hope to not look like a young team and to build confidence. The speed of the game increases when you move up from junior high to high school, so that is an adjustment for the freshmen.
"Even though we are young and inexperienced, I think we can win some games and be in most every game," he added.
Ada is scheduled to open its season Monday, March 28 at home vs. county rival Hardin Northern. The Bulldogs host local rival USV in a twinbill April 2. The tough NWC opener is at defending league champion Lincolnview April 7.
TEAM PHOTO
The Ada varsity softball team, from left, front: Raeya Finn, Natilyn
McClain, Morgan Dirmeyer, Karley Wagner, Jenna Bassitt, Karmen Hall.
Middle: Tess Griffith, Katie Sizemore, Belah Price, Kayla Wince, Jenna
Rodrigues, Emilee Huffer.
Back: assistant coach Rob Overs, assistant coach Sydney Newland, Aidra
Preston, Daicy Robinson, assistant coach Ann Bassitt, head coach Jeff
Bassitt.
