ADAMS TWP — The Mars softball team needed Taylor Rotz at third base last season.

So, Rotz did her best at the hot corner, putting her pitching arm away for a spring.

This season, the Planets needed a pitcher and Rotz, now a junior, was more than happy to supply strikes, outs and — most importantly — a lot of wins.

“We had a pretty good pitcher last year (Rachel Pastorek),” Rotz said.

Rotz is a pretty good pitcher in her own right.

Her fastball has been clocked at 61 mph. Translated to baseball, that would be a high 80s heater.

She also possesses command of four other pitches: a curveball, riseball, change-up and screwball.

“I have a pretty good curveball,” Rotz said. “That's probably my favorite pitch.”

Opposing hitters haven't liked any of her offerings this season.

Rotz is one of the reasons why Mars has made the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

The Planets won the Section 5-AAA championship this season.

“It's definitely very exciting, even more for the seniors,” Rotz said. “They haven't made the playoffs in four years and being a big part of that makes me feel good.”

Rotz, one of the team captains, has been the winning pitcher in 10 of the Planets' 11 triumphs this season. She also sports a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

At the plate, she has been just as dangerous as ever, batting .400 with three home runs.

“She has a lot of confidence in her ability and the team has a lot of confidence in her,” said Mars coach Michele Goodworth. “She has a good feel for pitching and she is explosive at the plate.”

Rotz started playing softball when she was 8 and has barely stopped since.

During the summer, she is a member of the Pittsburgh Power, which plays between 80 and 120 games a year.

When she was younger, Rotz said she worried about getting burned out on the sport.

That's a trepidation she no longer has.

“I get just as excited for games now as I did when I was 8,” Rotz said.

And Rotz is serious about the sport.

For seven years, Rotz has been working with former University of Pittsburgh pitcher Kaitlyn Schuster to hone her skills.

“She's all about mechanics,” Rotz said.

This year, Rotz also got some help from a source she thought had moved to another position.

Out of necessity, Goodworth switched senior Alyse Ciafre from shortstop to catcher.

Rotz and Ciafre instantly hit it off as a battery.

“Alyse is a year older than me, but we've been playing softball together since she was 10,” Rotz said “She's always been a good friend. It was pretty brave of her to move from shortstop to catcher, but it's nice having someone who knows me and my pitches so well.”

Rotz has her eyes on playing in college, which makes her performance in the playoffs and with the Pittsburgh Power all the more important.

“It's a big summer for me,” Rotz said. “My plan is to showcase my skills.”

Rotz carries a 4.1 GPA, which makes her even more attractive to college coaches.

The fact she can play at a high level at two positions is also a boon.

“I would love to pitch in college, but I would love to go somewhere where I could do both,” Rotz said. “I love batting too much. I don't want to be one of those pitchers who just pitches and doesn't hit.”

Rotz also loves winning, something she hopes to do a lot more of at Mars.

“It was very important for us to have the year we are having,” Rotz said. “Coming into the season, we didn't have too much confidence because we hadn't had a winning season in such a long time. Once we started winning and doing well, everything fell into place.”