Blue Devils softball player Alexis Pope’s career-high numbers increased to almost video-game like statistics by the end of the regular season.
By mid-may, she had 44 hits and a .505 batting average, 29 runs batted in, 28 runs scored, 11 doubles, two triples and six home runs.
They reflect the experience of the senior third baseman who has been starting for the softball team since she was a freshman and can’t imagine life without softball.
“It was the third game in my freshman season that I actually started,” Pope said. “Not a lot of freshmen get that experience. That was pretty cool to experience it, especially with such great players before me.”
Pope considers herself lucky to have played while Ewing softball continued to flourish. Every season has brought changes, but the teams and players have been good and she has made fond memories.
Pope is just one of the hard-hitting Ewing players. With six hits in a 6-0 win over Westhampton Tech in the Central Jersey, Group III state tournament opener, Ewing established a new mark with 265 hits on the year.
The team increased those numbers in a 5-0 quarterfinals win against Burlington Township. In that game, Danielle Rinaldi allowed two hits and struck out 10 batters over seven innings. She also went 3-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI, and collected her 100th career hit.
Ewing head coach Dan Bernoski said the reason the team was 20-6 going into the second round of the state tournament was that they have more than good just hitting.
“Our pitching and offense have been outstanding through the season,” said Bernoski.
He said he wasn’t sure the offense would be this good when the season began. In the preseason, the Blue Devils faced tough pitching that made it seem as though offense could be a challenge.
“From the start of the season, I always had faith in our offense,” Pope said. “Mr. B was right to have some doubts. We were struggling to manufacture runs. I could say it was something we were all kind of concerned about. We knew in the back of our minds it was just going to take a little time and we had to wait to hit our stride. We had faith it would come together when it was time to matter in the regular season.”
Ewing took off once the season began. They’ve carried that momentum through the regular season, into the Mercer County Tournament before they were knocked out by Notre Dame, 2-0, in the semifinals despite outhitting them, 8-6, and into the state tournament.
“When everyone gets along so well, the hits kind of carry,” Pope said. “They get contagious. One person hits, they encourage the next person. A lot of the girls, including myself, work on our free time hitting and trying to better our game. In game time, the competitive mode of everyone helps. Going up and wanting to be aggressive and having the right approach has helped us this season.”
In the field, Ewing has supported top starting pitcher Rinaldi and back-up Lauren Christensen well all season . The combination of offense and defense has made Ewing formidable.
“I definitely think our pitching is very strong,” Pope said. “There are a ton of good pitchers in the CVC. Danielle is definitely one of the top pitchers. She’s held up a lot of games and held off a lot of the best batters in the CVC.”
“You can’t win games just off pitching, so our offense has a lot to do with it too,” Pope added. “It’s just about timely hitting. Any team is going to be off some games. We hit when we needed to and got the job done. It was a combination of our pitching and offensive abilities as well.”
Ewing hits the ball well from one through nine in their lineup. There are no easy outs for opponents.
As of mid-May, Devon Kueny was batting .357 and scored 24 runs; Rinaldi had 34 hits and a .395 average; Brianna Vaughn had 30 hits and a .385 batting average; Julianna Nisen was hitting .386 with 27 hits; Deanna Hedrick had 28 hits and a .368 average; and Lauren Christensen was batting .300.
Bernoski compared Kourtney Schneider to Cookie Rojas— a professional baseball player who played multiple positions for the Phillies in one season. “Kourtney has been catcher, shortstop, first baseman and second baseman, depending on who’s pitching,” he said. “She has 17 hits and batting .270. She’s very versatile.”
Schneider will be playing for Penn State Abington next year as a catcher, and Rinaldi will be playing for Wesleyan.
Pope is heading to the University of Rochester to continue her career. She said she’s looking forward to competing at the next level and the chance to keep playing.
“For a while, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play in college or not,” she said. “But eventually it came down to it where I couldn’t imagine not playing in college. That’s something I definitely realized last school season. The game is a big part of who I am. I don’t think I’m ready to be done with that chapter yet. It gives me a sense of pride.”
She adds: “When you play some of the best teams in the county and get wins, the adrenaline rush that the game gives me when I play, it’s something I couldn’t imagine not doing as long as I could. I’m not going to be able to play forever. Deciding to play in college was the best choice for me because it’s just a big part of who I am. I love the game.”
Pope picked up field hockey for her last two years just to try something new, but it’s softball that has always been her first love. Her passion and talent was recognized as one of two recipients of a $2,500 scholarship from the Mercer County Softball Hall of Fame.
Bernoski said that the team is fortunate to have players who excel academically as well as athletically. Rinaldi, Pope, Vaughn, Madison Zuczek, Christensen, Cailey Green, Katie McGinn and Andrea Santiago are all members of National Honor Society. “We have kids that.”
It helps them make good decisions on the field and be smart hitters at the plate. It’s enabled Ewing to enjoy another outstanding year, one that Pope was hoping could match her freshman year when the Blue Devils reached the sectional finals.
“It feels like it was just the other week that it was my freshman year and I just played with everyone,” Pope said. “It’s definitely different seeing your perspective when you’re one of the oldest players on the team, you see the game differently and you don’t want to take anything for granted, especially as it’s coming down to the wire. Knowing that every game everything is on the line, it’s bittersweet.”
It’s the end of a long, good run for Alexis Pope and her class. She’s been a staple in the Ewing lineup and a leader for the Blue Devils. She is hoping to add a few more games to her career in the state tournament that was to rely on Ewing’s balance at the plate and in the field.
“I’m not ready for my senior season to be over yet,” Pope said. “It’s a matter of us coming out with the same intensity and energy as the past couple games and being ready to play.”
Third baseman Alexis Pope hit a home run during an 8-0 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals on May 11, 2017. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.),
