Lansing softball hits midseason surge

Last year, the Lansing softball team fell just short of the IAC North Large Division title to rivals Dryden. This time around, the Bobcats are in the drivers’ seat to make it back to an IAC championship game.

Things didn’t start out so well for the Bobcats. They first lost to the reigning Class C state runner-up Thomas A. Edison, but the real surprise was falling to a Whitney Point team that they haven’t lost to since 2017. Head coach Pete Walker knew they had to hit the reset button on their season, and it’s certainly paid off.

“We underestimated Whitney Point in the first game,” Walker said. “We went back to the drawing board, restarted our entire season and the girls put in the extra work: practice every day, extra hitting practice when they wanted it, staying after and working on things by themselves. They’ve really put it all together. I can’t take any of the credit for it. They’ve done all the work.”

After those opening two defeats, the Bobcats rattled off six straight wins. It started with a three-game sweep over Dryden, continued with a pair of wins over Whitney Point, and ended with a convincing victory over the defending IAC Large School champions Elmira-Notre Dame.

There are many key returners from last season’s team that won their first sectional game since 2014. In the circle, Piper Mason is coming off a stellar freshman campaign as an IAC First Team All-Star. She has the extra responsibility of being the team’s ace after Zoie Burke graduated (and is now playing close by at Tompkins Cortland Community College). Mason has thrived in her new role, posting a 2.40 ERA through her first seven pitching appearances.

“We had the luxury of having Piper during our travel summer season, so she understood the role that she was going to be undertaking even as a sophomore to come up and become the starting varsity pitcher,” Walker said. “She has grown in confidence. By putting some more work in with some pitching coaches and doing some more upper body strength and lower body strength training, she has just become dominant now. She’s not overpowering, but she can place her pitches and she has more confidence in facing better batters. She’s not afraid. She wants the ball. Every time I ask her how she’s doing, she says, ‘I’m ready, Coach.’”

At the plate, Brooklyn Walker has been stellar for the Bobcats. Not only does the senior lead the team in batting average, she also drove in 13 runs during their winning streak. As Brookyn’s dad and head coach, Pete knows firsthand how much she has improved her craft.

“At the end of last year, she started coming around and understanding how to get the bat path through the zone and stay in the zone a little bit longer and make solid contact with the ball,” Walker said. “She has put in probably the most work. It’s not always easy being a coach’s kid either because even after practice we’re talking about strategy and talking about games and getting the extra hitting practice… I can’t be more proud of her as her dad but even more proud as a coach.”

Mason and Walker aren’t the only returning IAC All-Stars. Izzy Gustafson has been a reliable force both at the plate and behind it, throwing out multiple runners already. Fellow senior Lindsey Fish got off to another strong start but suffered a season-ending injury in the series against Dryden.

The Bobcats’ veterans are complemented by a large import of newcomers. The majority of the roster is made up of sophomores (eight), and they have eight players in their first year at the varsity level. Despite some youth and inexperience, Walker has been impressed with the entire lineup from top to bottom.

“It’s a team effort, which is up and down the lineup,” Walker said. “That’s what you want from any coaching standpoint. You want a team that gels together well, plays together well and picks each other up. Even if Brooklyn has a bad day, I know that someone else to come up behind her is going to go still hit the ball… They all just get along so well, and it just translates out onto the field, which as a coach, you can’t ask for anything better.”

To reclaim the division title, all Lansing needs to do is take all three games against a struggling Trumansburg team. If this season has taught them anything, the Bobcats will not take any further opponents lightly.

“We have to come into Trumansburg and not underestimate them,” Walker said. “I know that they’ve had some struggles this season, but you can’t take a day off. One of the things I tell the girls every day is you can’t take a day off. You can’t take a play off. You got to play this game 100% of the time, and that’s what’s going to give you the win.”