(Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Any time a pop up sails into the sky above Abby Mussman’s head, she likes to whip the catcher mask off her face before running to the ball.
And after she flops her mask into the dirt behind home plate, Coach Tom Odle says, “what’s that down on the ground? You look a lot better with it on.”
What the longtime Brush softball coach jokes about with his senior starting catcher is that “she needs to leave her darn mask on because every time she throws that mask off on the ground, she can’t find the foul ball. If we ever get her to leave it on, she’ll make the catch.”
He added: “She’s one of the biggest characters on the team and everyone follows her.”
Mussman, one of two seniors on a very young Brush team, helped the Class 3A No. 4-seeded Beetdiggers to the 2016 softball state tournament semifinals on Friday at Aurora Sports Park. Brush heads into a tough matchup on Saturday against defending state champion, No. 1 Strasburg.
“We have a really young team – two seniors, six juniors – so a lot of them haven’t been here with the limelight put on them. We graduated seven seniors last year,” Odle said. “We’re really young, but I’m really pleased with where we’re at.”
The Beetdiggers’ starting catcher graduated last year, so Mussman stepped in as the varsity catcher this season from her second base post. She caught a bit her freshman year, but “nothing too big,” she said.
“I have a lot of leadership on the team and I like that,” Mussman said. “It’s a good thing we have younger players because they’re going to keep working together. The team won’t lose a lot next season.”
The Beetdiggers cruised through the first round game against No. 13 Faith Christian 8-1, then blew past No. 5 Lamar in the quarterfinals 12-2.
“We worked really well together with some nice hits today,” Mussmna said. “We’re a crazy, crazy team, always making jokes and having a good time. Our parents are always supporting and keeping us up with good spirits even if we’re down or losing.”
She added: “Being able to be on the field and have fun is a big theme for us.”
Coach Odle said it’s this quirkiness that describes the team and makes them so special — and so good.
“They’re able to pick each other up and have fun with it and enjoy what they’re doing on the field,” Odle said.
No. 1 Strasburg vs. No. 8 Sterling
Defending state champion Strasburg blanked No. 16-seeded Platte Valley 10-0 in the first round and defeated Sterling 9-6 in the quarterfinals. Sterling won its first round 14-3 over No. 9 Cedaredge. Strasburg sophomore Alexis Rayburn singled twice against Sterling; sophomore Anita Akers had two singles; Freshman Emily Johnson had two singles. For Sterling, junior Brooke Polenz launched a sixth inning homerun; freshman Rylyn Nelson doubled in the eighth inning double.
No. 4 Brush vs. No. 5 Lamar
Brush took down No. 13 Faith Christian 8-1 in the first round and Lamar 12-2 in the quarterfinals. For the Beetdiggers in the quarterfinals, sophomore Kamryn Leoffler had a single and two doubles; junior Maddy Rule doubled three times with one single; Senior Abby Mussman had two doubles; junior Hailey Unrein doubled twice. For Lamar, junior Julie Aguirre had two singles against Brush.
No. 3 Eaton vs. No. 11 La Junta
Eaton slid by No. 14 Delta 14-13 in the first round and defeated La Junta 13-3 in the quarterfinals. La Junta upset No. 6 Valley in the first round 9-8. Senior Brooklyn Knutson tripled and had a single against Lu Junta and senior Rachel Graham had a single and a double.
No. 2 Rocky Ford vs. No. 7 Academy
Rocky Ford advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 13-3 victory over No. 13 Meeker, and was victorious over The Academy 10-3. The Academy beat No. 10 Weld Central 9-4 in the first round. For the Meloneers, Chantae Rodriguez singled twice; senior Whitney Nelson singled and had a double; sophomore Sadie Brewer had two singles.