BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post —
One could look at Broadwater Academy’s promising start to this softball season and say, “Must be something in the water.”
But we won’t. Too clichéd.
But we will say, “Must be something in the food.” Specifically Mexican and Chinese food. More specifically, the grub at Don Valerio’s and China Chefs, a pair of Onley restaurants — and favorite post-game hangouts for the BA softball team.
“We really like to go out to eat,” says junior second baseman Kacey Ford.
“And if it’s not dinner after games, it’s lunch before games,” adds junior catcher Adrianna Holloway. “We’re always hanging out together.”
It’s all part of sisterly camaraderie that has played a big role in sparking the Vikings to win 9 of 10 games, including a convincing 7-0 shutout of Isle of Wight on Monday.
Halfway through the season, Broadwater looks poised to make another deep run into the state playoffs. Last spring, the Vikings went 15-6 and made it to the VISAA Division 3 semifinals before falling to eventual state champ Brunswick.
This spring, the Vikings are playing their best ball heading into the second half of the schedule. Coach Dale Wright cites a number of reasons, starting with pitching and catching.
“It all starts there,” says Wright, pointing to senior pitcher Ramsey Revelle and catcher Holloway. “They’ve played together for a while. They’re familiar with each other and always on the same page.
“It seems that as those two go, so the team goes. And since they’re playing well, the whole team is playing really well.”
Revelle and Holloway were all-state selections a year ago, and both are even better this spring. Team captain Revelle, who has signed with Shippensburg University, is 9-1 with a 1.15 ERA and 88 strikeouts. She only gives up on average 3.5 hits per game. She’s also the team leader at the plate, batting .500 with 14 RBI.
“Ramsey is having a great year,” says Ford. “She’s turned it up a notch. She has a great work ethic and is always working on her game.”
Revelle, who passed the 500 career strikeouts mark a couple weeks ago, is finding her groove after a back injury sidelined her for most of volleyball and basketball seasons.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, more than I typically would have,” she says. “I’m pain-free now, and it doesn’t bother me anymore. I don’t even think about it.”
Revelle says Holloway makes her a better pitcher. “She helps me tremendously,” Revelle says. “She’s really good at framing the pitches. We’ve been playing together since we were 8 years old. She really knows how I pitch and I really know how she catches. We work well together.”
Holloway, who has a gun of an arm (she throws a liner to second base from her knees), is also a power hitter. She is batting .389 with three doubles, two triples, and two home runs.
Ford, the second baseman and a starter since eighth grade, is a key third piece to BA’s success. “The three of them have been with the team the longest,” says Wright. “They really carry us and everybody just follows their lead.”
Ford appreciates the compliment but throws much of the credit back to Wright.
“It’s just about the coach,” says Ford, who is batting .452 and leading the team in stolen bases and runs scored. “He’s been my coach all four years, and that’s made an extreme difference.” Ford notes that BA had some lean softball years before Wright became coach in 2022, “but he really brought in a different mentality.”
The year before Wright took over, the Vikings were 3-6. Since then, they’ve gone 9-10, 12-11, 15-6, and now 9-1 so far this year.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise for BA this year is eighth grade shortstop Miranda Smith, the younger sister of senior multisport star Leah.
Smith had never played shortstop before, but Wright asked her to give it a shot because of her athleticism, height (5’10” and growing), and range. She has responded with a .978 fielding percentage and only two errors. She’s the team’s third-leading hitter (.448) and is second in RBI (14).
“She’s been outstanding,” says Wright. “She’s doing it off of pure instinct and talent. And she has been amazing with the bat.”
It’s all coming together for the Vikings just in time for next week’s critical rematch with Greenbrier Christian, which thumped BA 11-0 last month as pitcher Haleigh Murphy threw a no-hitter and struck out 11. Revelle was uncharacteristically off, giving up 11 hits.
Wright says BA “kind of sleep-walked” in that shutout loss. “We didn’t hit well or play defense well,” he says. “I think some of it is the ‘Greenbrier Syndrome.’”
That “syndrome” would be Greenbrier’s dominance over Broadwater in softball. In the last 10 years, the Gators have beaten the Vikings nine straight times by a combined score of 98-13. But Wright says they’ll be ready for next Tuesday’s rematch in Chesapeake.
“We’ll be better,” he says. “We may or may not win, but we’re going to give them a game. We’re not just going to roll over.”
And then they’ll just roll back over the bay, back to the Shore, with their GPS set for one of their favorite eateries.
