Harvey confident despite two serious injury losses

Star shortstop Adoria Waldier and pitching ace Kylee Fisher will both miss the season.

With the news Yough head coach Dutch Harvey got prior to the season, one would think he wouldn’t be smiling as much as he has during the opening week of the preseason.

Senior shortstop Adoria Waldier, who was being recruited to play Division I softball, is out for the season after tearing her ACL. Then Harvey found out Kylee Fisher, who carried most of the load as a freshman starting pitcher last season, is out for the season with a clotting issue in her back.

“Those are big blows for us, but I think we’re going to be just fine,” Harvey said. “First, those girls are still around. They’re coming to our workouts. Dori, she’s out there running the show at every practice. Kylee has been in the mix and throwing a little bit, but she can’t absorb any contact.”

Last year the Cougars were 9-5 overall with a 6-4 mark in Section 3-3A. With the new realignment, Yough falls into the new Section 1 in 3A. It’s a section where all the teams made the playoffs last season — Burrell, Deer Lakes, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant and Southmoreland.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” Harvey said with a laugh. “I thought we’d be in there with Charleroi and South Park in (Section) 3. I don’t know.”

One of the biggest reasons Harvey has been smiling as been the introduction of freshman pitcher Jaidyn Vay.

Vay, whose name has deep ties to Yough athletics, has done nothing but impress since she’s started workouts.

“She throws hard and she’s grown a lot since middle school,” Harvey said. “Of course, we’ve had her eye on her, but to see it live now every day has been impressive. This girl’s tall and lanky, throws hard and is a gamer.”

Without giving anything away, Harvey said her arsenal is full and she had the same pitching coach as former Cougar Macy Mularski.

“She’s just like Macy, too. She’s going to be a bulldog out there. That’s what we want,” Harvey added.

A lot of the info Harvey gets on Vay is from junior catcher Kylee Odelli. She’s back after hitting .366 last season with an on-base percentage of .435.

In place of Waldier, sophomore Payton Jenkins will slide from third to short.

Kierstin Odelli, a sophomore, will come in from the outfield and play second base. Odelli is coming off a shoulder surgery that ended her freshman season early.

“I’m eager to see her back,” Harvey said. “She hit .306 from the lead-off spot.”

Shianne Kaefer, another sophomore, will be at third with Leah Boris at first base.

“When we were on the field for the first time, I was really pleased with the way the infield looked,” the longtime coach said. “Kaefer was making good throws across the diamond. Honestly, I was shocked with how good Jenkins looked at shortstop. She plays there in travel ball, so that’s where she’ll be for us.”

In the event that Vay needs some relief in the circle, Jenkins will provide it.

The outfield will be anchored by sophomore Brooke Kowalski in center.

“Kowalski has a cannon for an arm. We can’t take her out of the outfield,” Harvey added.

Anna Lindner will be on one side of her, but the other corner outfield spot is a different story.

“That’s going to be the interesting spot,” Harvey said. “Right now, we have five freshmen competing for that spot. Our two scrimmages will tell us a lot.”

Harvey said the keys to the season will be finding the starters in those corner outfield spots, consistency out of the pitching circle and defense with timely hits.

“Fisher was our leading hitter, that’s where we’re going to hit her the most,” Harvey said of the .400 hitter. “Kierstin Odelli is back in the lead-off spot. Jenkins is at the three spot. She’s gotten a lot stronger. I feel good about our top seven in the order. With the injuries, it looks like (Vay) is going to have to hit, which is something I don’t usually like to do.”

As far as the section goes, Harvey knows it’s going to be a battle every game.

“It’s the meat grinder for sure,” he said. “To bring Deer Lakes and Burrell all the way down here, that’s going to be tough for everyone in the section. Mt. Pleasant, Ligonier Valley, Southmoreland … it’s going to be tough. We need to be ready every game.”