The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Position Preview: Catchers
1/30/2017 | Softball
By Jackie Servais, Ole Miss Athletics Communications
As the Rebel softball team continues preseason work on the field, OleMissSports.com will breakdown each position group over the next week. Monday's in-depth look features the catchers, where Courtney Syrett returns for her senior campaign, along with three other Rebels behind the plate.
The Rebels' stock of catchers includes two veterans, seniors Raven Campos (Adair, Oklahoma) and Courtney Syrett (Bay Shore, New York), sophomore Sarah Van Schaik (Petal, Mississippi), and freshman Kennedy Legg (Keller, Texas).
While head coach Mike Smith and his team are covered in the catcher positon at almost every class level, they will look to senior Syrett as the frontrunner given her starting experience in the Southeastern Conference.
The position is known to be the most physically demanding on the field. As a result, the offense tends to go down, but the catchers who can do both are the rare ones and Syrett is just that.
Syrett joined the Rebels in 2013, and immediately became an impact player. She started in 20 games with 52 at-bats, hitting .192 with a .947 fielding percentage. From there, she continued to improve. Her sophomore year she nearly doubled her average at .268 in 52 starts with 123 at-bats. Not only did her swing find its way into the SEC, but so did her fielding game. With only two errors all season, she sat behind the plate with a .990 clip. This past season, Syrett continued to enhance her success as she led the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament with a .996 fielding percentage and an impressive on-base clip of .409.
"We need to keep her fresh so she has the legs towards the end of the year. Last year she caught almost every game for us and kind of lost her legs towards the end," Smith said. "She is a great offensive threat, but also a good defensive player behind the plate."
Last season marked the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history aided by the most wins in school history (41). But while finishing as a top 32 team, Smith and his staff believe the increased depth will support their mission for continued success in 2017.
"Everyone in this positon brings something different and it always helps to have depth, especially since it is so physically demanding," Smith said. They all do different things well, and even though Syrett is the most experienced at this positon that doesn't necessarily mean it is finalized."
While Syrett is known as the commonality, there is a lot of anticipation about the two young faces and what they will bring to the field this season.
Van Schaik took no time finding her way onto the field in 2016 starting in 31 games, (15 at catcher and 16 as the designated player) and contributed with a .229 clip with 19 hits, two of which were home runs. She may only have one year under her belt, but took to the SEC like she has been there before hitting .300 with eight RBI and 10 walks for a .500 on-base percentage.
"Sarah will be coming off shoulder surgery this season which will be an adjustment for us. Last year, she had great hitting power, could hit for an average, and was a very good blocker behind the plate," Smith said. "She could potentially buy some time and serious innings behind the plate. Her and Courtney (Syrett) will be battling it out for that number one spot, depending on who is more consistent."
This season the group welcomes newcomer Kennedy Legg, who joins the Rebels from Keller, Texas. In high school Legg competed as an all-around player getting time at not only at catcher, but also at first base and in the outfield.
Legg is familiar with success as she helped her team to the 2016 state title, was named second team all-district and broke the single-season record with 16 doubles. She also played for American Freedom Gold for the duration of her high school years where she hit 33 home runs including a .420 average this past year.
"She has the tools to play at this level. Defensively, she is still learning the game behind the plate and what is takes to be a catcher in the SEC," Smith said. "Once she understands how important footwork, mechanics and arm strength are behind the plate, and becomes a student of the game, the sky is the limit for her."
In addition to the three athletes that hold the catcher title, senior Raven Campos also provides depth for the Rebels. Last season she served as a utility player competing in 13 games, most of which were at first base.
"I wish I could put this entire position group into one piece and turn them into the ultimate catcher. They are all great leaders behind the plate and really do serve as our field generals," Smith said. "They each have a different and good relationship with our pitchers and I think that runners need to worry about them because we have an opportunity to throw some people out this year."
For all Ole Miss Softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally, fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at Ole Miss Softball on Snapchat under the handle, @OleMissSoftball.
