No. 2 ranking is either curse or blessing for Elk Grove softball

Elk Grove (Calif.) High School softball coach Jeff Alexander didn't know whether to laugh, cry or curse when he got the call last month.

His Thundering Herd were No. 2 in the preseason MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings. Since top-ranked Pearland (Texas) has already lost twice, its likely Elk Grove will move right to the No. 1 spot in the next rankings. 

"It's the kiss of death," Alexander said half-joking.

The ninth-year head coach knew was playfully being over-dramatic. Sort of.

Elk Grove, located just south of state capital Sacramento, finished as high as No. 6 nationally last year with a 25-4-1 team. It returns one of the nation's top senior pitchers in UC Santa Barbara-bound Shelby Wisdom (0.54 ERA, 269 strikeouts, 23 walks, 143 innings last season).

But the Thundering Herd also need to fill three infield spots left vacant by graduation, including the two middle infield spots.

That makes Alexander more than a little nervous, especially after an infield error led to two unearned runs in a 3-2 win over Lodi last week. Elk Grove opened the season with a 13-1 romp over Casa Roble.

Today, they'll be tested to the hilt when they face cross-town and Sac-Joaquin Section rival Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.), which features UCLA-bound hurler Ally Carda. Wisdom and Carda are best friends and ASA travel team teammates for the Sacramento Lady Magic.

The Thundering Herd beat Carda and Pleasanton Grove three times last year en route to the school's second SJS title.

"That's always going to be a drag out war when those two schools meet," Alexander said. "Especially when it's those two pitchers."

If the Thunder Herd have embraced any mottos during his eight seasons, which features two SJS titles and three runner-up finishes, it's "Finish the play" and "Don't go backwards."

In other words, stay utterly focused and don't get caught up in things you can't control. Like national rankings.

Young pups
The Thundering Herd scored when they brought in talented but raw freshmen Anessa Kaylor and Kaitlyn Pires to fill in the shortstop and second base spots. Alexander calls them "pups."

"I told them before the season that they're going to make errors and don't worry about it," Alexander said. "They're going to be exceptional players for us. We just need to give them some time."

Through two games, Elk Grove has showed signs of their talent and youth.

In the win over Casa Roble, they had 13 hits, including two doubles, three triples and a home run by returning All-League outfielder Maryssa Harris. That came in just four at-bats.

"I was really surprised how we hit the ball," Alexander said. "I don't see us as having a dominating lineup, but we really hit some rockets."

Alexander warned of some defenses lapses in the game and coverage errors, and those showed up more prominently in the narrow win over Lodi. 

"That was not a victory to celebrate," Alexander said. "We have a ton of work to do."

But with Wisdom flinging the ball, many of Elk Grove's shortcomings can be masked.

The athletic 5-foot-6 senior has been playing since she was five when her mom Joylynn coached her in T-Ball. She followed in her older sister Janelle's footsteps and pushed by her summer teammate Carda.

Carda had 18 wins last year, an 0.54 ERA and a remarkable 311 strikeouts in 169 innings.

"She's definitely been my best friend since the eighth grade and she definitely helps push me," Wisdom said. "We have a very friendly rivalry."

Wisdom isn't the power pitcher Carda is, instead relying on six pitches. Her favorites are the screw ball and change-up. Everything she throws possesses remarkable movement.

Through two games, she hadn't allowed an earned run and has 23 strikeouts and two walks in 12 innings. As talented as she is on the mound, Alexander said Wisdom is an equally good teammate.

"She's a great kid," he said. "She's not loud, but business-like on the mound. She's a competitor with a capital C. We all have come to know that glare when she's not happy."

Having Wisdom
She was nothing but happy when the Thundering Herd defeated Johansen-Modesto 6-3 in the second-game of a doubleheader to claim the SJS title May 28.

Elk Grove was beaten earlier in the day 6-5 to force a deciding game. She had eight strikeouts and a walk and gave up three earned runs in the title game. But she also had two hits, including a two-run homer.

"She's not a tall, dominating figure on the mound in the mold of the Cat Osterman," Alexander said. "But she's a flat-out athlete. If she wasn't pitching, she'd play shortstop. She hits the ball a ton, runs like the wind, she does it all. But she's definitely a pitcher. She's our pitcher and that's what she'll do in college."

Center fielder Jordan Brennerr is another college player – she'll play next year at San Francisco State. She was the team's leading hitter last year at .449.

"She runs like the wind and is a great slap hitter," Alexander said. "She's got a great arm from the outfield."

Other returning starters are catcher Alycia Fields and third baseman Carlee Gray, both juniors.

"(Fields) stepped up as a freshman and just got better and better," Alexander said. "Carlee is another third-year player who is very versatile."

Gray moves over from first base, which is now being shared by junior Alexis Saborio, sophomore Erikka Burke and versatile senior Kimberly Wilburn.

With Harris and Brenner holding down left and center, right is being shared by either Wilburn, , sophomore Sarah Hannah or senior Jessica Venturelli. Talented Morgan Evangelista, a catcher, joins Pires and Kaylor as the team's only ninth-graders.

"We lost four really good players from last year, so we really need to push harder this year," Wisdom said. "Of course we have a target on our backs now. Everyone wants to beat us. But our goal is strong and true – to get back to Wednesday night."

Wednesday is traditionally the night SJS championship games are played. Wisdom welcomes the target and has embraced the national rankings.

With 13 of the 14 players on year-round ASA teams, Wisdom thinks the Thundering Herd has earned its national billing.

"I think we deserve it but it should only make us more determined to keep it," she said. "We can't sit back. We have to keep pushing forward."