Sophomore outfielder Mady Ott has helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial softball team to an 11-4 record. She is batting .429 with four home runs, three doubles and 12 RBIs.
Ott’s bat heated up in the last week, when she homered four times during a six-game stretch. She hit a grand slam in the Jaguars’ 10-4 victory over No. 13 Southeast Polk in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday, then added a go-ahead two-run blast in the fifth inning to give her team a 6-4 win in the nightcap.
Here is some inside info on Ott:
How is the season going thus far?
I’d say it is going well so far. We’ve been really working hard in preseason and early in the season and although we have lost a few games, I’d say that we’re still doing pretty well. We had to face some tough pitchers right away, so we struggled to string hits together. We have definitely done a better job with that in the past few games.
What has been the highlight for you?
One of the highlights so far is the two wins against Southeast Polk. Specifically in the second game when we were struggling to get runs in and Taytem Spiegel and Mary Brantley got a few on the board for us to tie it up with some impressive base running. Then, later in the game I was able to turn on an inside pitch that barely stayed fair for a two-run homer to get us ahead. It felt good to be able to come through in a clutch situation.
As the defending state champions in Class 5A, do you feel like your team has a big target on its back?
Absolutely, there’s a target on our back. We know that every team we face is going to bring their best.
Do you feel like this year’s team is comparable to last year’s squad, even though you have some new faces in the lineup?
We lost some big-time players from last year so we have had to fill some gaps, but we have some great athletes on this team and as everybody becomes more comfortable in their roles I definitely see us making a run for the state championship again.
One of the new starters, sophomore Kori Lincicum, has contributed five home runs, which ranks second on the team behind Jordyn Kennedy. Did you know that she had that kind of power?
I have played with Kori for years in club ball, and so I have known that she is a great softball player. She has worked really hard on her swing in the past couple years, and you can definitely tell it’s paying off.
Senior Cora Boyle has picked up some of the slack in the pitcher’s circle following the graduation of Lauren Gustofson, compiling a 7-0 record with a 1.86 ERA. What do you think has been the key to her success?
Cora is a very competitive player who works very hard at pitching and has good movement and spin on the ball. She brings a different look than Lauren Sandholm so they complement each other well.
To what do you attribute your power surge in the last week? Did you make some adjustments at the plate?
Once we had played a few games, I was able to see what I needed to work on. Also, once school was out I was able to find more time to get to the cages for some focused (batting practice). I did have to make some adjustments because I was a little anxious in the earlier games and wasn’t getting solid powerful swings.
Coach Delaney moved you into the middle of the order after you had batted in the leadoff position in the first nine games. Did that change your approach at the plate at all?
No, I don’t think it changed my approach but it did make me a little more comfortable being in the middle of the lineup. Maybe it has also changed the pitchers’ approaches seeing me in the middle of the lineup and possibly has worked out better for me.
You are starting in center field this season after playing primarily in left field as a freshman. Has that been an adjustment for you, or do you think it’s easier to track a fly ball in center as opposed to left?
It has been a little bit of an adjustment to play in center field as there is more ground to cover. But I feel pretty comfortable overall playing that spot. The biggest adjustment has been that it is a leadership role and learning to really take charge of the outfield. But I am really enjoying playing center.
Did you watch any of the Women’s College World Series, and what did you think of Oklahoma becoming the first NCAA Division I softball team to win four consecutive national championships?
I have watched as much of the College World Series as I could and thought it was really cool to see how dominant Oklahoma was. Oklahoma is obviously an amazing program that inspires a lot of girls. My family and I had an opportunity to watch the Oklahoma vs. Iowa State series on spring break, and they were just as impressive to watch back in March. Their hitting and approach at the plate was fun to watch.
Where are you at in the recruiting process? Have you looked at some schools yet?
I definitely want to play softball in college. I have been looking at and attending camps for a handful of schools, but I feel the recruiting process will really pick up for me later this summer and fall and hope to have a busy fall season.
