Swinging for the fences

The quest to get back to that stage has begun for the Vestavia Hills High School softball team.

Last season was one for the ages for the Rebels, as they advanced to the state tournament and went home with a third-place finish in a competitive Class 7A. 

The story of the season was one of ups and downs, with a strong peak toward the end. The Rebels dug deep time and again, showing a resiliency and never-say-die attitude, staving off elimination twice in a week’s time just to get to the state tournament.

Once they got to the state tournament, the Rebels were not just content to show up, even though their win-loss record paled in comparison to much of the competition. They run-ruled defending state champion Baker and knocked off No. 1 James Clemens in the first day of the tournament.

“It was unexpected, but it was a blast,” said shortstop Merritt Cahoon of last year’s state run. “It was kind of hectic, but once we got there, I feel like there wasn’t any pressure. We were just playing to play. It was the greatest experience we’ve had.”

The team may not have fully anticipated making it that far, but those wins over Baker and James Clemens left an enormous impression on the Rebels.

“We run-ruled [Baker], and we were like, ‘Hey, we know we belong here. No pressure,’” said left fielder Ashley Dieguez, now one of the Rebels’ seven seniors.

Head coach Lissa Walker noticed the same thing in her team at the time. 

“That’s huge, especially for a young team who is inexperienced at the state tournament,” she said following the state tournament last May.

The road there was a roller coaster. A Senior Night victory over Spain Park catapulted the Rebels into a tie for the lead in the area. A dramatic 12-11 win over Hewitt-Trussville sent them to regionals. At regionals, the lights went out multiple times in one game, and another game had to be stopped because it was too late to continue.

In the end, it was worth it.

“They had a taste of what this is like, and they had a taste of why we work the way we work and why we do what we do,” Walker said.

The hope now is those lessons will translate into a season full of success for the Rebels, who have all but two players back from a season ago. Taylor Coe played center field and hit leadoff and will be a rather large void to replace. 

“Taylor was definitely a big leader on this team,” Dieguez said. “And I think we have a lot of strong underclassmen who can fill her spot, too, so I’m pretty excited.”

One of the themes that allowed the Rebels so much success last year was the team’s cohesion and chemistry as a group. It was clearly not lip service to those who saw the team progress throughout the season, and with so many key pieces back, that bond should continue to strengthen.

“It really is like a softball family,” Cahoon said. “We’ve all been with each other for 12 years. We all know each other perfectly. All of our seniors want to get to state again. The leadership is there.”

Speaking strictly of starters at season’s end, Mary Sanders James and Dieguez were bookends to Coe in the outfield. RaeAnn King, Cahoon, Kate Meloun and Hannah Grace Roden ate up innings around the infield. Audrey Meloun is back behind the plate, as are pitchers Jessica Perley and Kate Nash.

Six of those eight are seniors, along with Savannah Hayes, who also plays a key role for the Rebels. That familiarity on and off the field can only help.

“A lot of us have been playing together [for a long time], and we just know how we work,” Kate Meloun said.

Four of those seniors already have signed to play softball collegiately. The Meloun sisters are heading to West Liberty University in Wheeling, West Virginia. Perley has signed with Birmingham-Southern, while King is going to Southern Union.

With Perley and Nash back inside the circle, the Rebels feel they have quite the advantage against any opponent. Perley attacks hitters with consistent power, while Nash is a literal changeup, as she features a nasty drop ball. The two are capable of pitching complete games on their own, but featuring both in the same game gives hitters headaches.

“You try to make adjustments from your last at-bat, then they throw something different at you,” Dieguez said.

When asked to single specific players out as having shown tremendous work ethic in the offseason, Cahoon, Dieguez and Kate Meloun each ran through a list of different names that nearly encompassed the entire team. 

The hunger is still there, according to the three, and the opportunity to come into the 2017 season with inflated egos is nonexistent, because the Rebels’ regular season record was simply modest.

“Last year helped with that, because we didn’t just beat everyone,” Kate Meloun said. “It was back and forth. That really helps. We know we’re going to have to fight again. We know we have the talent to get there. Now we know what to expect once we get there.”