MORGANTOWN — There’s an unspoken bond in softball between a pitcher and catcher.
The best duos always have a sort of chemistry; they understand each game situation and how they to work together to overcome the challenges posed. For Clay-Battelle senior Caitlyn Kassay — one of the best Class A pitchers in the state — her second all season had been Rhonda Petrucci.
When Pretucci went down with an injury during the sectional tournament, there was reason to worry it may disrupt the Cee-Bees’ rhythm. After all, they had spent all season cultivating a system that opposing batters seemed unable to beat. Luckily for C-B, they had a secret weapon by the name of Rylee Burnette.
“I’ve asked her to make adjustments all year and all she has done is respond beyond my expectations. I needed her to play shortstop, and she did a great job. I asked her to play the outfield, and she did that well. Now I’ve asked her to go back to a position she hasn’t played since middle school in catcher,” C-B coach Butch Varner said.
Burnette had previously spent time behind the plate with Kassay in the circle during their younger years, and has made the transition back into the role as easy on Kassay and her other teammates as possible. Despite the strong bond with Petrucci, Kassay admits that things feel rather natural with the current set-up.
“[Rhonda and I] had a bond, but as the season has went on, Rylee has slid back in and not missed a beat,” Kassay said. “She caught for me when we were younger, and it feels like nothing has changed. She still knows how to keep me calm and keep the infield calm, and I think we’re good to go.”
Swapping positions is nothing new for Burnette — she has spent recent stints at shortstop and in the outfield for the Cee-Bees — and she has found that the best attitude is to buy into what she is asked to do and trust it will work out for the best.
“From the beginning, my mentality has been to give it my best and the rest will hopefully come,” Burnette said. “I knew I had to do this. That’s where my team needed me, and it’s felt like I haven’t missed a beat.”
C-B will play Greenbrier West at 11 a.m. Wednesday in the first round of the state tournament in Vienna. The Cee-Bees will look for big games from both Burnette and Kassay to lead the team to success.
“They’re just like every team down here. They have a good pitcher, a solid defense, and some good bats,” Varner said. “What it boils down to for all four of these teams is how good the pitcher does each day and how timely we can get hits.”
The Cee-Bees will need Burnette and Kassay to control the tempo of play on the defensive end, while Burnette — as the lead-off batter — will be looked towards to spark the scoring at the plate.
“When she does good things and gets on base, it presents opportunities for RBI’s down the line-up. She’s been really solid in her baserunning, and she can do a lot of different things with her bat,” Varner said. “She has good bat control, she can bunt, and she can drive one to the fence.”
“When I go up to the plate I have to be thinking ahead and be ready for anything, but mostly I have to go up for confidence and hope the girls behind me follow suit. I know this week I’m going to go give it all I have”, Burnette added.
Meanwhile, Kassay heads into the game focused on keeping her pitch count low and closing out batter down in the count – she feels if she can grab the advantage in both areas, she can control any batter she sees in Vienna.
“I have to really focus on being as efficient as I can. I need to keep the amount of pitches I throw and the amount of two-strike hits I give up really low, and we need to make the plays that are in front of us,” she said.
