Pitching tandem gives Central a boost in state playoffs

When former Central pitcher Allie Kelley graduated after the 2015 softball season, it would have been easy to view the Lady Red Devils’ pitching situation going forward as a question mark.

Kelley had been the leader on the team and also a dominant force in the circle for multiple seasons for Central, and filling her shoes would take some work.

And so that’s what a couple of players did over the offseason. They worked. And worked some more.

Junior Alexa Shiver, who had started about 10 games in the circle last season, and sophomore Gracie Deaton, who had a couple games as a freshman, took over the starting pitching roles this season.

Their success in the circle is a big reason why Central returned to the Class 7A state tournament again this season. Last year, the Lady Red Devils finished seventh in Montgomery. This year, they’d like to stick around a little longer in the tournament, which will be held on Friday and Saturday at Lagoon Park.

If they do, Shiver and Deaton will be two big reasons why.

Central coach Matt Bell was not surprised at the time and effort the two put in during the offseason.

“Did I know they would have this kind of success? No,” he said. “But I knew they’d go out and compete. I knew they could both get there. How quickly they got there was the surprise.”

There were a couple of early hiccups. The pair allowed 15 runs, 10 earned, in a season-opening loss to Spain Park. Fifteen more runs crossed the plate against them in the next two games, a win over Beauregard and a loss to Hoover.

But then those numbers started to come down. During a doubleheader on Feb. 19, Shiver pitched a one-hit shutout against Thompson and Deaton a one-hit shutout against Prattville.

As the season wore on, they just continued to get stronger.

“The mental side,” Deaton said of what improved the most throughout the year. “It comes with maturity and experience. Last year, I wasn’t the best at the mental part of the game. This year, I’ve learned to tune stuff out. If I have a bad at-bat, I can’t take it onto the field with me. If I walk someone, I have to focus on the next batter.”

“It was a great challenge for both of us,” Shiver said. “I knew we could do it. You just have to be confident in yourself and know that you can do it.”

For a coach, Bell said it was just a blessing to have two pitchers he can rely on. They have different strengths, and he can turn to either when the situation calls for it during a game.

“Gracie is going to strike out eight or nine,” Bell said. “Alexa won’t strike out as many, but she’s going to get some bad swings on some balls.”

And in a situation like the state tournament, having multiple strong arms can tip the scales in their direction.

“It’s nice to know we’ve still got plenty in the tank,” he said.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Pitching tandem gives Central a boost in state playoffs."