Emersyn Jones, Knoch ‘up to the challenge’ of getting over WPIAL softball tournament hump
Multiple factors combine to determine the result of a softball game, and in all three phases, Knoch has been stout this season.
The Knights will carry a 17-3 record into the WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinals. Undefeated champions of Section 1, they received the tournament’s No. 3 seed, a first-round bye, and will play the survivor of Monday’s game between Beaver and Belle Vernon at a date, time and site to be determined.
“We wanted to build on what we did last year when we lost out to Indiana for the section title,” Knoch coach Chris Gardner. “We also want to get past the quarterfinals. That’s a hurdle we haven’t been able to get over.”
The team is averaging 10.1 runs per game, second in WPIAL 4A behind only top-seeded Elizabeth Forward.
Freshman Emersyn Jones has become a feared member of the lineup. Now batting in the No. 3 spot in the order, she leads the team in batting average (.528), home runs (10), RBIs (37) and runs scored (24).
“She’d done really well in travel ball the last couple of seasons, and we knew she was talented, but she’s come in and put up numbers that have brought the whole team up,” Gardner said. “At the start of the season, she was batting near the bottom of the order, but she showed no first-year high school jitters at all. We moved her up to No. 4, then No. 3. We want her to be in a spot where she can get a lot of at-bats.”
This is the first year that power has been a big part of Jones’ game.
“I hit a couple of home runs in travel ball last year, maybe one or two the year before,” Jones said. “I knew I was capable of a lot this year, and my hard work is paying off. I try to keep a positive attitude. The pitching in travel is pretty decent, and it helped prepare me for varsity.”
Other top hitters on the team include McKenna Brailey (.417), Lizzie Danik (.383) and Grace Hensch (.352). Hensch, a catcher, is the team’s leadoff hitter. Those two roles are not often combined on a softball team, but she has the ability and right mindset to be at the top of the batting order.
A senior, Hensch serves as team captain along with Brooke Bastin and Carissa Tekely.
“She’s very consistent and is a spark plug for us,” Gardner said of Hensch. “She’s a confident player and is a leader.”
A four-year starter behind the plate, Hensch also is integral to the success of Knoch’s top two pitchers — junior Marlee Fraser and sophomore Kaila Purcell.
“We have an assistant coach, Amanda Fischer, who calls the pitches, but she is not always able to be at our games,” Gardner said. “When she isn’t there, Grace takes over that job.”
Purcell is 8-1 with a 1.09 ERA this season; Fraser is 5-1 with a 1.08.
“They both mix their pitches well. Kaila puts a lot of spin on the ball, and Marlee has a bit more velocity,” Gardner said. “There’s no attitude from either of them about sharing time in the circle. They are team players, and it’s a luxury to have two pitchers that good at the varsity level.”
The pitching duo has combined to strike out 101 batters and walk 20 this spring. They both pitched for the team last season.
“I always try to get on top of the count and limit the wild pitches when runners are on,” Fraser said. “I had a setback in the offseason, had tendinitis in my right shoulder. I began to throw again in January and felt ready to go by the start of the season. The speed of my pitches has definitely increased since last year.”
Purcell and Fraser are full-time contributors. When not pitching, the former plays right field and is batting .315 with 15 RBIs. Fraser plays third base and is hitting .341 with 13 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
Defense has not let the Knights’ hitting and pitching efforts go to waste. The team has committed just 17 errors in 20 games.
“We probably had that many errors last year out of our middle infield alone,” Gardner said. “But Emersyn (shortstop) and Lindsey Wise (second baseman) have solidified those positions. They both have very good range.”
Knoch’s season included 17 consecutive wins before the team dropped its final two regular season games — both non-section affairs — to Laurel and Shaler, teams that are seeded high in the WPIAL’s Class 2A and 5A tournaments, respectively.
“We scheduled those games because that’s the type of competition we’re going to see in the playoffs,” Gardner said. “Our girls fight and there’s no quit in them. We have to continue to get good pitching and defense, and the girls are up to the challenge.”
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