(Photo by Evan Bjornstad)Reese Japuntich stands alone in the circle. All she sees is the glove of catcher Maddy Bacalis. As she moves into her delivery, winds up and releases the pitch, there’s no expression, just another one of many she’ll hurl across home plate.
Because Japuntich is the only pitcher on the Gunnison softball team, she expects to throw every pitch this season. She’ll do so with a steady countenance. There’s no time to get upset about a walk, a hit, a home run; any of the numerous trials and tribulations that await to test a pitcher’s composure. “I would rather work on the next batter and bigger picture than worry about what happened,” Japuntich said. “If I get a strikeout, I worry about the next out and how I can get us out of the inning. I’m the only pitcher so I can’t get down on myself. There’s no other option. No matter what happens it’ll be fine. I have to move on to the next batter.”
Which is an attribute GHS coach Leslie diLorenzo said makes the junior pitcher an indispensable asset. “She’s been the G.O.A.T. for us, the ‘dog’ that has stepped up and put the team on her shoulders,” diLorenzo said. “She handles the challenge well. Her presence on the mound — she’s not fazed by anything. A home run, an error, she just takes an ‘hey we got it, we are good’ approach. You’d never know if she’s upset. She doesn’t show that. She might keep it all bottled up inside. But she knows her job and gets up and does it.” As the Cowboys’ season barrels towards the playoffs, Japuntich wants another crack at moving the seniors on to the next round. Last year, she injured her hip as her right foot landed when she released a pitch. She couldn’t return to the game and the Cowboys’ season ended in a 12-11 loss to Resurrection Christian. “I felt like I’d let the team down,” Japuntich said. “I am excited to go out and just play another big game. We’ve got a great group of seniors and I’d be excited to get them to the next round.”
In a weekend sweep of a double header, the Cowboys beat Sierra 21-4 and 12-0. diLorenzo hopes the offensive surge can catapult the Cowboys into the upper half of the 32-team playoff bracket. After she missed a game while in concussion protocol, Romie Uhrig cranked a 3-run homer. Freshman Susan Espinoza and Mckayla Singer have adjusted to the speed of the game and stepped into contributing roles.
They suffered a slight setback in a 20-2 loss to Alamosa on Tuesday, but are brushing that off with the knowledge that they still have a lot of their goals sitting right in front of them. “There are 32 teams that make regionals,” diLorenzo said. “If we are in the bottom third, it means we are going to a higher seeded team. We’re looking to get an upset in our next home game or play well against a higher seeded team and use that momentum to string some games together. Making the playoffs is great, but we’ve always been shooting for the first game at home and then to make it to the Sweet 16.”
(James Nokes writes for Colorado Preps)
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