“Last year’s team, the expectation was we were supposed to go there,” Schaffer said. “This year, even though we’re defending state champions, they kind of play with a chip on their shoulder because most of the softball community and the public thought Skipp was our main reason why we went to state, and I would have to agree. But these girls wanted to make their own statement and wanted to prove this year’s team could do it and that it’s not just one player.”
Senior Austy Miller was her sister’s catcher last year. She has returned to her natural position of shortstop and has embraced a leadership role.
“The motivation is that nobody thought we were going to go back,” she said. “I don’t hold any pressure on me because I’m thinking if we lose, we’ve already made it way further than everyone thought. So it’s just exciting to be in the same position we were last year.”
On the mound for Bradford (23-5) for Friday’s 10 a.m. semifinal vs. Strasburg-Franklin (25-4) will be last year’s first baseman, Nylani Beireis. She is 23-4 with a 2.27 ERA,.
“To get to this level, winning handfuls of games in the playoffs, you got to have that stud pitcher on the mound, and Nylani really stepped up this year,” Schaffer said.
Beireis played first base last year, but she was the pitcher as a freshman when Miller missed the season with a knee injury. Beireis said she didn’t feel good enough as a freshman when the Railroaders finished 18-5.
“I had to build a lot of confidence from freshman year,” she said. “This year I thought maybe I do have it, and I have my teammates behind my back just in case I do make a little slip up.”
Beireis has had great run support all season from herself and her teammates. She hit 10 home runs and batted in 42 runs. Miller leads the team with 56 hits and a .577 batting average. She has nine homers and 37 RBIs.
“First and foremost, we’re really good hitting team all the way through our lineup,” Schaffer said. “We probably work on that more than anything, especially this year, not knowing exactly how our pitching was going to allow us to be in games.”
Beireis’ pitching and the hitting throughout the lineup come together for a final time this weekend, whether it’s Friday or in Saturday’s 4 p.m. final against the winner of Jeromesville Hillsdale (23-3) and Van Wert Lincolnview (24-4). The seniors have played multiple sports together since kindergarten.
Beireis is going to Toledo in the fall to study exercise science and join the softball team as a walk-on. She wants to be a physical therapist. Miller will join her sister on the OU softball team and study pre-pharmacy.
“It is kind of upsetting just knowing that I won’t be able to play with these girls anymore,” Beireis said. “But I’m just taking everything in for what it is and just going to try to live it up as much as I can this week.”
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