May 20—Quincy Schuerman rarely feels the need to make big statements to Addison Jay when the pair meet in the circle, but when she does need to deliver a message of inspiration to the Mt. Spokane hurler — she keeps it simple.
“I just tell her that there is nobody better,” Schuerman said.
And the stats back up Schuerman’s statement. Over the past four years, Jay has been dominant as a pitcher and hitter in the Greater Spokane League — earning all-league first-team honors each season.
Now Jay, Schuerman and the Wildcats’ eight other seniors will look to cap their prep careers with the one thing that has alluded GSL teams over the past two decades — a state fastpitch softball championship.
“We’ve worked so hard over our careers and this year, and no one else at state knows how much work we have put in except for us,” Jay said. “I’m excited for it to show and see if we can be the group that gets it done.”
After taking fourth in two of the past three 3A state tournaments, the second-seeded Wildcats (22-1) will aim for the top spot beginning Friday morning at 9 a.m. against either 18th-seeded Southridge or 15th-seeded Gig Harbor at Region Athletic Complex in Lacey, Washington.
Jay said that the Wildcats once again will enter the tournament with a target on their backs as the No. 2 seed. But unlike last year when they were shocked in the opening round by 18th-seeded Inglemoor, Jay believes her team has the ability to play loosely in what will be their final tournament together.
“To lose that game and still fight back to earn a trophy showed us how resilient this group was,” Jay said. “There are times when we are going to get punched in the face, but we showed that we fight back. That has carried over into this year and I think it has allowed us to have a better mindset going into this weekend.”
Mt. Spokane coach Carl Adams knows having special players like Jay — the school’s all-time leader in wins (57) and strikeouts — can elevate a team to the next level, but he and Jay are both quick to point to the rest of the roster and how valuable their contributions are to building a winning program.
“You know Addy hasn’t really changed much in her time here,” Adams said. “She came in as a freshman laser focused and that has continued to today. Obviously there have been physical changes that have made her better as a player, but she is also the first person to deflect credit to her teammates and that’s just how they all are as players and leaders.”
A key example of Mt. Spokane’s strength as a team came in last week’s District 6 title game against Kennewick. With the game in extra innings and a top-four state seed possibly on the line, Schuerman knocked in Jay for the game-winning run.
Schuerman — who is in her second season as the team’s starting catcher — said the ability to deliver in clutch moments is built on the belief in one another and a level of trust each player has with the person ahead of and behind them in the lineup.
“We have a ton of confidence in one another, that if you have a terrible game with a girl behind you is gonna have a great game and pick you up,” Schuerman said. “So it feels easy and lighthearted, yet super competitive at the same time.”
Schuerman also loves getting the best seat in the house when it comes to catching for Jay — who eclipsed the 650-strikeout mark earlier this season.
“She just has this competitive edge that, yes, she throws the ball hard, she spins it well, she can hit her spots, all these things, but she just has that extra competitive edge that shows out there and it really takes her to the next level,” Schuerman said. “It makes my job pretty easy. I don’t gotta do a lot. She does a lot of the work is what I tell her all the time.
“We’re in games because of her,” Schuerman added.
But for Jay, this last chance to shine on the state’s biggest stage is the moment she has been waiting a year for.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Jay said. “That’s the situation I want to be in.”
In the 2A tournament in Selah on Friday and Saturday, the GSL will be represented by fourth-seeded Deer Park (21-1) — the league and district champions — and 14th-seeded Clarkston (14-9).
The Stags lone loss this season came on April 16 against Freeman, but went through the GSL 2A slate unbeaten — allowing just 57 runs over their other 21 games. Deer Park will open its tournament run at 11 a.m. Friday at Carlon Park against 13th-seeded Kingston. Clarkston will face third-seeded Port Angeles at 9 a.m.
Following a 19-3 campaign, Freeman earned the top seed in the 2B tournament at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima on Friday, taking on 16th-seeded Friday Harbor at 11 a.m.
The Scotties will be joined by Northeast 2B North rivals Liberty — the tournament’s fifth seed — and Colfax — the No. 11 seed. The Lancers (20-3) open against 12th-seeded Rainier at 11 a.m., while the Bulldogs (15-8) face sixth-seeded River View at 9 a.m.
The 1B tournament — which begins Thursday and concludes Saturday at Gateway Sports Compex — features third-seeded Almira-Coulee/Hartline, fifth-seeded Wilbur-Creston-Keller and sixth-seeded Colton.
Colton (18-5) will open at 3 p.m. Thursday against 11th-seeded Muckleshoot Tribal, with the winner advancing to face ACH (17-7) on Friday afternoon. Wilbur-Creston-Keller (17-6) opens at 3 p.m. Thursday against 12th-seeded Wahkiakum, with the winner advancing to face fourth-seeded DeSales on Friday.