Soddy-Daisy's Kelsey Nunley pitches while Ooltewah's Jessica Morgan during softball game in March.
Staff Photo by Jenna Walker/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Central's Shelby Willard pitches against Ooltewah in March.
Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Grace Academy's Lacye Walker, No. 9, pitches against a Silverdale hitter.
Staff File Photo by Jake Daniels/Chattanooga Times Free PressIf Hamilton County's three TSSAA Divison I high school softball teams are to win the weeklong races in their classifications at the state tournament in Murfreesboro, their proven pitching thoroughbreds will need to be at peak performance.
Class AAA Soddy-Daisy's Kelsey Nunley, Class AA Central's Shelby Willard and Class A Grace Academy's Lacye Walker will be trying to help their teams bring home state titles.
Play begins today and finals are Friday. If necessary in any of the classifications, a second championship game would be played Saturday.
Nunley and Willard are junior right-handers. Walker is a senior left-hander who has signed with Chattanooga State.
Walker and Nunley were each 9 when they began pitching on organized teams. Grace coach Tina Walker said her daughter first gave pitching a try when she was 2, putting on shows off to the side at older sister Brittney's games. Willard played one year at the 10-under level but didn't begin pitching until moving up an age group.
Their fathers inspired Nunley and Willard to try pitching. Walker said she was motivated by wanting to be like her eventual college softball pitching sisters - Tiffany being the other - or better.
"Her sisters will even tell you she's got them beat," her mom said.
Each of the three throws a fastball, changeup, riseball, curve, screwball and drop. Nunley said she also has an off-speed pitch between the fastball and changeup. Her drop-curve is her out pitch. For Willard and Walker, it's the rise.
"That's been my go-to pitch for a few years," Walker said. "I started pitching it when I was 11 or 12. Around my freshman year was when I really got good at it."
Nunley's instructor is former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga pitcher Talya Trudell. Walker and Willard use former Tennessee Tech player and current Chattanooga State coach Beth Keylon-Randolph. Willard started taking lessons from Billy Gee in North Georgia and has been with Keylon-Randolph the last four years.
"I've learned from her that when you don't have your best stuff, think back to the simple things and the drills you did as a kid," Willard said. "If I'm having a hard time, I refer back to those. Sometimes you have to."
Walker (28-3) first worked with her catcher, junior Reagan Schrader, when Schrader first got to middle school.
"We have a great relationship," Walker said. "Yes, we can get in fights. What girl can't?"
The two were reunited at the high school level and have been batterymates the last three years.
"I think it's easier catching a pitcher like her," Schrader said. "She's very consistent. You don't have different things coming at you. Her ball breaks when and where it's supposed to. I love it."
Sophomore Hannah Powell has been with Willard for two years and apparently has become somewhat of an amateur psychologist.
"She can tell if something is bothering me," Willard said. "If I'm frustrated with one of my pitches, she can see it on my face. We have kind of like a bond that nobody else knows about."
Nunley (22-5) works with sophomore Morgan Bailey, a first-year starter.
"A catcher has to learn a pitcher and a pitcher has to learn a catcher," Soddy-Daisy coach Clifford Kirk said. "It can be difficult for me when they're learning each other, because I call the pitches. It takes a while."
Nunley has displayed mastery at times in her career. She looked dominant against the state-tournament field a year ago, and then her hand got stepped on and gashed during a celebration after she had pitched the Lady Trojans into the winners-bracket final. She then watched, paced and served as counselor as then-freshman Tori Denayer earned pitching victories in the next two games to give Soddy-Daisy the championship.
"I really want my own state," Nunley said, "since I didn't get to finish."
Walker's incentive this week stems from finishing runner-up a year ago, thanks to a one-run loss in extra innings.
"Yeah, that left a sour taste in our mouths," she said. "We want to win it."
Willard (12-3) is just happy to have a chance to contribute this time of year, since she missed about a month of the season with a leg injury. Coach LeeAnne Shurette and Willard concurred that freshman Chasidy Ainslie (16-9) filled in admirably, but Shurette said Ainslie pitches more to contact, whereas Willard can be overpowering.
"There's times like when you have runners on second and third and you've got to get that strikeout," Shurette said. "It's nice to have that pitcher that thinks, 'I can sit this one down.'"
The three coaches agree the chances of winning a state title are greatly enhanced having a top-flight pitcher, and each thinks they have that.
Kirk has guided nine teams to Class AAA titles - dating to 1987 while at Hixson. He said he's had championship teams win with good but not great pitching but would "rather have a dominant one."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653.