Wapakoneta's secret is out

WAPAKONETA - Bill Sammons doesn't want you to read this story.

The softball coach at Wapakoneta has a nice secret, and he'd like to keep it that way, thank you very much.

So, if you're associated with any softball program, please move on. Maybe read about the Cavaliers-Celtics playoff series. Or check out where the Indians and Reds stand in their respective divisions on the baseball page.

But, please, for Sammons' sake, don't read this article about pitcher Emily Whetstone.

"Don't brag her up too much," Sammons said after Whetstone pitched the Redskins to a 2-0 sectional tournament win over Shawnee on Saturday. "I'm trying to hide her."

Wapakoneta will play Celina at 5 p.m. today in a Division II sectional game at Bath.

It's only natural Whetstone has so far flown under the radar. Afterall, she started the season on the junior varsity roster.

"I've been trying to work hard, and try to get out there more and pitch more," Whetstone said. "I've been working pretty much all of the time."

Her move up to the varsity team has paid off. She sports a 1.58 ERA, has pitched 44.3 innings, has a 4-2 record and has struck out 31 batters while walking just four.

Ironically, she was brought up to the varsity roster for her offense, not her pitching. She leads the Redskins with a .452 batting average, and has a .581 slugging percentage.

"Then one game I just threw her in there and she held her own really nice," Sammons said.

Her first varsity pitching appearance came on April 8, when she pitched the final two innings of a 6-1 loss to Western Buckeye League foe Elida. That day, she gave up a single and struck out a batter.

But, in fitting with her strengths, she got four of the seven batters to ground out.

"That's Emily's philosophy - she's not going to out-power you, but she is going to change speeds a lot and keep you guessing," Sammons said. "That's a good way to put it, controlled. Her nature is competition. She loves competition."

In a short two months, Whetstone has gone from dominating the junior varsity ranks to starting the Redskins' sectional game against Shawnee. She needed just 91 pitches over 10 innings to hold the Indians scoreless.

Again, it was her placement and inducing ground balls which told her tale. In addition to eight strike outs and no walks, the Indians were victims of 15 ground-ball outs.

"I was pretty excited after we got that third out," Whetstone said of the 10-inning win. "I was just so excited."