Wickliffe enters the 2023 season with seven returning starters and some of the top talent in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division.
The Blue Devils finished last season 8-10 overall and 6-4 in league play.
“We have a solid foundation of returning starters,” said Wickliffe coach Marlana Mucciarone. “This puts us in a nice position because the returners are familiar with the girls playing around them. Hopefully, this will give us an advantage when it comes to situational play. However, this year we have already realized that the defensive lineup will need to change based on who is pitching, catching, and being offensively productive. We have a versatile bunch of girls, which is good because I have been very clear since day one that every girl on the team needs to be able to play two or three positions well. We already had to shuffle some positions from last year, and I anticipate that the shuffling will continue through most of the season.”
Wickliffe’s projected starting lineup includes three seniors, four juniors, a sophomore, and a freshman.
That leaves the Blue Devils as one of the most upperclassmen-led teams in the conference.
“Our juniors and seniors are the foundation of the team and are doing a nice job of being good role models for the younger girls to look up to,” Mucciarone said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the athleticism and energy our freshmen and sophomores bring to practice every day. There are a lot of girls who really want to learn and improve, and coaches love to see that in their players.”
Upperclassmen leadership should prove valuable to the Blue Devils in many ways, especially when the defensive adjustments come into play.
“This season I feel that inconsistency and inexperience will be our biggest challenges,” Mucciarone said. “With the shuffling of our defense, some girls don’t have a lot of situational game experience in certain positions, and experience is one of those things you can’t exactly coach. We also cannot have extreme ups and downs from day to day. In practices and scrimmages so far, I’ve witnessed more inconsistency in our performance than I would like to see. To improve on this, we need to have more focus, communication, encouragement, and support from everyone on the team.”
Leading the way for the Blue Devils in 2023 are seniors Laylah Ruscin, Abby Schneider, and Madison Nicholson.
Ruscin earned first-team all-CVC honors last spring while Schneider and Nicholson both were named to the second team.
As a junior, Ruscin batted .433 with 26 hits, four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 22 runs batted in, 17 stolen bases, and a .902 fielding percentage. In addition to her all-conference honor, Ruscin was named the team’s outstanding defensive performer as well as second-team all-district and first-team All-Lake County.
“Laylah led the team last year in hits, extra-base hits, runs scored, and stolen bases,” Mucciarone said. “She is such an explosive, dynamic, and exciting player to coach and watch. She will lead off for us again this year because when she gets on base, good things happen for us. She is crazy fast and has a green light on the bases to cause havoc on the defense. Defensively, she covers a ton of ground with her speed in centerfield and turns many extra-base hits into outs.”
Schneider is Wickliffe’s top pitcher and also will see time at first base.
As a junior, she batted .455 with 25 hits, five doubles, two home runs, 27 RBI, and struck out 80 batters in 98 2/3 innings.
She was named the team’s MVP, honorable mention all-district, and second-team All-Lake County.
“Abby is our number one (pitcher) and will probably start every game in the circle,” Mucciarone said. “She has been pitching really well and the coaches are pleased with her progress. Though she is recovering from an ankle sprain from a scrimmage last week, she will be ready to go when the season starts. Last year, she led the team in batting average and runs batted in and tied for second in hits.”
Nicholson will start at third base and can also catch and play second.
She posted a .981 fielding percentage last season.
“Last year was Madison’s first year in the program,” Mucciarone said. “Despite that, her athleticism made her one of our best defensive players. She only made one error in 52 chances the entire season. She split time behind the plate and at third base, and she will continue that this season, but also may spend some time at second too. She is quick and powerful and adds a lot to our infield.”
Junior Mackenzie Gazdak earned second-team All-CVC honors as a sophomore as an infielder.
She’ll play first base but also could help the Blue Devils at any other position on the field. She batted .386 last season with 22 hits, two doubles, 24 runs scored, 17 RBI, and a .925 fielding percentage.
“Mackenzie is probably the most versatile player on our team because she can literally play every position on the field and do it really well,” Mucciarone said. “She was our rock at first base last year and she will spend most of her time at first again this year because she is very good at making outs even when the throws are off. However, she may also spend time at third, and she is ready to go as an emergency pitcher, catcher, and shortstop. One of the reasons she is such a versatile player is that she truly understands the game. Offensively, she has been our most consistent hitter and will be in the two or three hole in the lineup.”
Junior shortstop Carla Sakacs was an honorable mention All-CVC selection last year as an outfielder after batting .446 with 25 hits, five doubles, a triple, 16 runs scored, and 14 RBI.
“Carla has natural athleticism and speed that allows her to cover a lot of ground,” Mucciarone said. “She played left field last year, but we are moving her to shortstop this season. She has good range, technique, instinct, and a good strong accurate arm, which makes her an ideal candidate for short. She is a quick study and very coachable. I have been very impressed with her transition and progress. Offensively, she improved tremendously from her freshman to sophomore year. She was in the top three for most offensive categories last season, and she is hitting even better this year so far.”
Junior Emma McCandlish is back in the lineup with the ability to play second, third, or in the outfield.
“Emma was a utility player for us last year,” Mucciarone said. “She spent time in the outfield, at second, and at third. She will continue that role again this year. One of Emma’s strengths is that she is a good contact hitter. She puts the ball in play and puts pressure on the defense. She was able to move a lot of runners into scoring position last year.”
Sophomore Maddie Kita broke into the starting lineup as a freshman catcher but an injury derailed that season.
She’s back and will split time with Nicholson behind the dish, and she also can play in the infield.
Kita batted .409 last season with 11 RBI and a .939 fielding percentage.
“Maddie was our starting catcher year, but unfortunately broke her finger a few weeks into the season,” Mucciarone said. “When she returned toward the end of the season, she picked up right where she left off. She only played in half our games, but she batted over .400 and drove in runs. From the end of last season to this season, she has been one of our most improved players. She is faster, stronger, and more accurate with her throws. She is a smart, aggressive base runner, and a good vocal leader on the field.”
Junior Kylee Janey will start in right field and freshman Amanda Peklay will be I left.
Ashley Friel, Amarriys Brooks, Savannah Javins, Mackayla Gazdak, and Leigha Blazetic will provide the Blue Devils with depth.
“We have a solid foundation of returning starters with a nice group of talented younger girls,” Mucciarone said. “They come to practice and work hard to get better and they are open to learning new positions and techniques. I have all girls learn to bunt righty and lefty, but then many of the girls ask if they can learn to drag, slap or swing from the left side too. I have players who ask to stay after practice to field more balls or take home equipment so they can practice more, or ask questions when they are not sure what to do in a certain coverage. I love to see these things as a coach. It shows me that they really care and want to improve and be successful.”
Schneider will throw the majority of the innings for the Blue Devils in the circle with Mackenzie Gazdak, Javins, and Blazetic providing depth.
“Abby is our number one and will start and pitch the majority of innings,” Mucciarone said. “I would only like to pitch Kenzie in emergency situations because I need her in the infield defensively. We would like to use Savannah and Leigha strategically and also give Abby a rest throughout the season. Both have made big improvements and have lots of potential.”
The Blue Devils certainly have the talent and experience to compete for the CVC title and also make a deep run in the postseason.
To achieve their goals, they’ll need to continue to jell as a team and focus on the fundamentals that will help them play consistently throughout the season.
“We need to translate the basic fundamentals we work so hard on every day at practice to the games,” Mucciarone said. “The girls need to be open, understanding, and accepting of new and changing roles on the team as we find what combination is most effective. We also need to be coachable, consistent and have some mental toughness to bounce back when things don’t go in our favor, we make an error, or strike out.”
