Dayton softball focuses on pitching depth, health

When the Dayton softball team reached the 3A state championship game with a blend of strong underclassmen and experienced seniors, much of the load was shouldered by a freshman.

She wasn't just any ordinary freshman, though. MacKenzie Cole was the Northern 3A Player of the Year, who despite heading a team ravaged by injuries had the Dust Devils on the brink of a title, having pitched in all seven postseason games.

Even in softball, where the pitching load on a player's arm is minimal compared to baseball, the burden was too much.

"We just kind of got tired," Cole said. "We had played a lot of games, everyone had just worked their butts off to get there. And when we got there, in the last game, we were just kind of tired."

That exhaustion carried in the minds of all nine of the returners, not to mention Dayton coach Dusti Houk, who made it her No. 1 priority to add depth to the pitching staff and put a bigger emphasis on conditioning.

Now the Dust Devils are hoping the change will fill in the gaps that were missing last season when they dropped two of their three games to Fernley in the title game.

"That was part of our problem last year, we didn't have that depth and we had injuries galore," Houk said. "My assistant and I did some math and we were probably about 48 percent healthy when we were in the state championship game."

One of the biggest losses was starting catcher Natasha Wells, who suffered a fractured leg last March. The loss caused the Dust Devils to have to fill the position by committee as they shuffled multiple players in and out almost weekly. In the championship they used all-conference center fielder Brittany Hill behind the plate.

The moves disrupted their defense, which had five errors in two losses to Fernley in the title game.

In order to avoid putting themselves in the same situation as last year, Houk now has four pitchers in the rotation as opposed to the two they had last year. In addition, she has committed more time for conditioning and stretching and has even banned soda and energy drinks in the dugout, instead opting for water and sports drinks to keep the players better hydrated.

Injuries, though, were only one part of the slippery slope Dayton rode on. Wells said the team was separated at times and that attitudes got in the way of winning a championship.

"I don't think it was being tired, I think it was giving up," Wells said.

She didn't name names, but said the attitudes from last season have led to more players stepping up into leadership roles in order to be sure it doesn't happen again.

"You rise as a team and you fall as team," Wells said.

Brittany Burrows, one of the team's five seniors, added: "Instead of having separate people, we're going to have a team."

Last year's experience is likely to forge a strong team this season and perhaps give the Dust Devils the added motivation to keep Fernley from earning its third-straight state title.

"With nine returning, they were all there last year to experience it," Houk said. "They all know how it felt to lose the state championship and it makes them even hungrier this year to go back there and win it."