Waterford’s Cara Taylor, Belpre’s Kaitlen Bush named All-Ohio
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WATERFORD -- Cara Taylor put up some crazy numbers on the softball diamond this spring.
The Waterford junior set three school single-season records -- batting average (.660), runs-batted-in (58) and stolen bases (29) -- and led the Wildcats to 20 wins for just the fourth team in school history. For her efforts, Taylor was named first team All-Ohio. Her teammate, Riley Schweikert, was an honorable mention pick, while Belpre's Kaitlen Bush was selected to the second team.
Taylor batted third and played center field for Waterford this season. She went 62 for 94 at the plate, clubbing seven home runs, 10 triples and six doubles. She had a .980 fielding percentage, committing just one error all year.
"That's a big accomplishment," said Waterford head coach Doug Baldwin. "She was a very integral part of our team success. She had a hit in all of our games except for one, and the one she didn't, she had two stolen bases and four RBIs. Offensively, she was consistent every day."
The left-handed swinging Taylor uses her blazing speed to her advantage, offensively and defensively. Any ball she hits in the infield has a chance to be a hit, and anything to the outfield could be extra bases. In the field, her range allows her to prevent extra-base hits, and she also has a cannon for a left arm.
For all the eye-popping statistics, though, one that stands out is her strikeout total -- zero.
"She has a very good eye at the plate," Baldwin said. "She's struck out one time in her high school career, and that was the last game of her freshman year in the district finals against an All-Ohio pitcher."
And even though her speed is one of her best attributes, she's got plenty of pop in her bat.
"I think five or six of her home runs were out of the park," Baldwin said. "She does hit for a little bit of power. This year we moved her to the three-hole in the order after leading off as a freshman. She can hit anywhere in the lineup."
Schweikert set the school's single-season record for home runs with eight. A senior, Schweikert hit .476 with 44 RBIs and 16 doubles. She made just five errors at first base in 214 chances for a .977 fielding percentage.
"She's a four-year starter and she's been solid for us at first," Baldwin said. "She's a great kid and a lot of fun to coach. She hit in our five spot, and I felt very confident when she was at the plate. She always had the potential to hit it our of the park. She had a couple absolute bombs this year that would've went out at any softball field we played. There were a couple she hit that were unbelievable."
Waterford made it to the district semifinals and finished 20-8. They won the Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division for the first time in 13 years.
Bush, a sophomore for the Golden Eagles, was a record-setter in her own right. She set a new Belpre mark in home runs with eight to go along with a .598 batting average (49 for 82), 39 RBIs, 16 doubles and 15 stolen bases. She struck out just twice all season.
"Kaitlen is a player where, if she was having a good game, it bled to the rest of the team," said Belpre head coach Stephanie Evans.
"The team fed off her energy. When she was on, it was contagious. She's just an excellent all-around player and as humble as can be."
Belpre finished the season 14-13 and advanced to the district semifinals. Bush, who at one point had a hit in 12 straight at-bats, was a big part of the team's success.
"She reminds me a lot of Katie Osburn from a few years back," Evans said. Osburn was a two-time first team All-Ohioan as a sophomore and junior and a second teamer as a senior in 2018.
"(Kaitlen's) eye is second to none," Evans continued. "She's a smart hitter. She would know, 'If that's not my pitch, then I'm fouling it off and waiting for something I like.' Just a smart player."
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.