PORT ANGELES — Believe it or not, Port Angeles’ Heidi Leitz hasn’t been pitching that long.
You could sure fool her opponents about that.
In light of her special season, the Peninsula Daily News has named Leitz the All-Peninsula softball MVP.
Leitz had a spectacular season in her senior year pitching for the Roughriders. She simply buzzed through the regular season with a 9-1 record and 126 strikeouts in 70 innings.
She got better and stronger in the postseason, going on an even more amazing run. She pitched a complete-game shutout over North Mason at the district tournament, gave up three hits and one run in an 8-1 win over North Kitsap, then pitched three innings of scoreless ball in the district championship against Olympic, an 8-0 Riders’ win.
At the state tournament, she found another level all together going up against some of the toughest teams in the state. She pitched a one-hitter in a 10-0 win over Cedarcrest, a no-hitter in an 8-1 win over Woodland, then, in her best showing of all, pitched a perfect game — no hits, no walks, no hit batters — in a 1-0 win over Mark Morris. Incredibly, she struck out 19 of the 21 batters she faced in that game.
Even against the eventual champion Aberdeen, whose pitcher Lilly Camp had 342 season strikeouts, Leitz held her own in a 2-1 loss in the state championship game.
Leitz in the postseason struck out 58 batters in seven games and allowed three earned runs and 14 hits. By the end of the year, Leitz had 194 strikeouts in 110 innings.
Not bad for someone who just took up pitching.
Her coach, Morgan Worthington, said that last year, Leitz was great for the Riders, but with another year’s worth of experience this season, her game went to another level.
“Heidi is the full package,” Worthington said. “She knows what she wants.”
Leitz will be attending Saint Martin’s University in Lacey to play for that school’s softball team.
What does Leitz credit for her improvement?
“It’s a reflection of the work I put in this year. I put in hours and hours every week on pitching,” she said. “[Also] my confidence is a lot higher this year. My first year pitching was my freshman year.”
Leitz said she particularly worked hard on her changeup this season. She thinks she still has a lot of room for improvement, particularly in building up her velocity.
Leitz really liked Saint Martin’s because “the coach is so awesome there. And the girls were super sweet.”
Booming bat as well
Another thing to remember about Leitz is she isn’t just a pitcher. She was a beast at the plate, as well. She hit. 405 on the season with seven doubles, four triples and four home runs. She had 20 RBIs and scored 33 runs.
There were a lot of talented players to pick from for the All-Peninsula team. We simply can’t pick them all, and some good players will be left out. Here is our list of the top players on the Olympic Peninsula:
Bailey Johnson, Forks — Johnson led the Spartans with a .536 batting average. She hit seven home runs, drove in 23 and scored 32 runs.
Chloe Gaydeski, Forks — Gaydeski hit .462 with 17 RBIs and 19 runs scored. She pitched 78 innings, striking out 112 with a 3.03 ERA.
• Avery Dilley, Forks — Dilley hit .512 with three home runs, 16 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
• Mia Kirner, Sequim —Kirner hit an impressive .580 with two home runs, leading the team with 31 RBIs. She also scored 16 runs.
• Hannah Giddings, Sequim — Giddings hit .463 with 16 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
• Mikki Green, Sequim —Green, a stalwart at the catcher position, was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Olympic League softball coaches. She also hit .308 with three doubles and had an on-base percentage of .481 with 14 walks.
• Abby Kimball, Port Angeles — Kimball hit .438, including .536 during the regular season. She had five home runs, 29 RBIs and 34 runs scored.
• Lynzee Reid, Port Angeles —Reid hit .481 with four home runs, 23 RBIs and led the Riders with 36 runs scored. She also pitched 46 innings and went four scoreless innings in a tense championship game, going toe-to-toe against Aberdeen’s Libby Camp.
• Kennedy Rognlien, Port Angeles —Rognlien hit .463 with four home runs, 21 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
• Lexie Smith, Port Angeles — Smith led the Riders with six home runs. She also hit .381 with 34 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
• Morgan Politika, Port Angeles — Politika hit .411 with 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
• Honorable mentions — Ava-Anne Sheahan, PA, .303, eight doubles, solid outfielder; Mikkhia Stevens, PA, .333 batting average; Kylie Winter, Sequim, .378 batting average; Fynlie Peters, Forks, .422 batting average, four home runs, 22 RBIs.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
