Comets, 25-6, seek to reverse late-season skid and defend Region 16 crown

It’s been a record-breaking 25-win season for the Cottey Comet softball team.

After dropping their first two contests of the season in early February, the Comets then ripped off 18 consecutive victories. Cottey, however, has seemingly limped to the regular-season finish line, finishing their slate 7-4. In addition, the Comets have eked out a number of close victories as of late, after having previously stockpiled blowout victory after blowout victory.

Second year Cottey head coach Mark Skapin indicated he is concerned with his club’s play as the second-seeded Comets square off with third-seeded Mineral Area College, today, in the opening round of NJCAA Region 16 Tournament in Park Hills, Missouri.

Prior to Skapin arriving on the scene two years ago, a 25-win season was a pipe-dream, as the Comets had compiled a record of 3-74 over the previous three seasons.

Skapin, however, has raised the bar for Cottey softball, and said his squad will need to pick up their level of play in order to repeat as Region 16 champs.

“We’re going to have to put together quality at-bats,” said Skapin, noting that his squad was cold offensively in Tuesday’s twinbill split with Fort Scott Community College.

The Comets’ 18-game win streak came to a crashing halt on April 8-9, when they dropped three consecutive contests to the visiting St. Louis Community College Lady Archers. St. Louis enters as the tourney’s top-seeded team.

“Pitch selection is the biggest thing. We did not do a good job of controlling the stroke zone against St. Louis,” Skapin recounted of the four-game series in April. “We let St. Louis win on their type of pitches.”

Cottey’s offense again went cold in the opener of Tuesday’s twinbill with FSCC, as the Comets fell, 1-0.

“We have to score win,” said Skapin,” adding, “we never really threatened them. They really held us down.”

With many new additions to this year’s team, Skapin said he hopes his squad grasps the gravity of defending the school’s first-ever regional championship.

“I think they struggle with that at times,” he said. “At times, they still seem to be off. They’ve bought in to what we do here — but they’ve kind of looked at this as a completely new season. I don’t exactly think they feel the pressure to repeat.”

Added Skapin: “I think losing and playing St. Louis like we did, kind of gave us a taste of what that level of intensity is like.”

Skapin, however, said he was encouraged by Cottey 5-3, 10-inning victory over FSCC in the nightcap.

“We had to scratch our way back without our best stuff,” he said. “Which is the mark of what a playoff team does.”

Added Skapin: “We’re at a disadvantage because we haven’t been tested for most of the season, as far as a lot of games we’ve won pretty easily for a large chunk of the schedule. And then down the stretch here, we’ve been (rained out) so much.”

The Cottey skipper said the 2018 slate wasn’t as challenging as he envisioned.

“Close games are important, obviously,” he said, referring to the staggering number of blowout, and run-rule victories his club collected.

“Unfortunately, over this last month, teams are canceling on us (in order) to make up conference games, or because of budget issues. And we aren’t playing as much as we need to play to be ready. But Fort Scott helped prepare us for sure.”

Up next

The NJCAA Division II Region 16 tournament, in Park Hills. Cottey (25-6 overall) opens the double-elimination tournament today, against host Mineral Area College, with the first pitch slated for 2 p.m.

On the top half of the bracket, top-seeded St. Louis matches up with No. 4 seed East Central College. The tournament is set to conclude Saturday.

Freshman ace Kirsten Wallace is the Comets likely game one starter. Wallace (13-3) logged 11 of Cottey’s 17 innings over the duration of the twinbill with FSCC on Tuesday.

The Comets matched up with Mineral Area on Saturday in Park Hills, toppling the hosts in the opener 14-7, and then emerging victorious in the nightcap, 4-1.

The Comets clobbered Mineral Area pitching in the opener, clubbing seven home runs. Aymee Broome jacked three, a new single-game school record; while Wallace cracked two, aiding her own cause in the circle. In addition, Rayne Wright, and Katie Fernandez chipped in a homer apiece.

Regardless of the outcome of today’s tourney opener with Mineral Area, Skapin is likely to start Wheatoni native Emily Killion (11-2) in the second game.

See a future edition of the Daily Mail for all the latest on Cottey Comet softball