Mary Beth Odom stood on the Ryle High School softball field on a hot day in August and hoped for the best. She unpacked a bag of bats and balls and waited for softball players to show up for her first open field event since being named the Raiders’ new coach in July.
“I really had no idea what to expect that day,” Odom said.
If standout catcher Laney Schuster had been there in that moment with Odom, she would have told her new coach not to worry.
“We’re back-to-back district champs,” said Schuster, a junior. “Our atmosphere and team chemistry is top notch.”
The Raiders had 17 players on the varsity roster last season. They graduated six seniors after losing six of their final nine games en route to a 17-12 finish. They made the 9th Region tournament semifinals for the second year in a row but fell short of the final for the fourth straight season.
The Raiders won eight regional titles in 14 years, including four straight from 2005-08, three in a row from 2010-12 and the last in 2018.
Odom sized up the situation that hot August day and did the math. She factored in her Beechwood experience while recalling similar events while playing softball and assistant coaching at Dixie Heights.
“When I was coaching at Beechwood, we had less than 10 girls at my first open field, but Beechwood is a small school,” said Odom, a 2015 Dixie Heights graduate. “Honestly, I was hoping at least a few would come out for my first one at Ryle.”
More than 20 girls showed up.
“That’s a lot for something like an open field, especially for it being so hot out that day,” Odom said. “Some of them showed up early dressed in their uniforms ready to play. And they kept coming. I thought I’d get a few girls. And I got a busload. It was a very welcoming experience.”
More than 30 players showed up for Ryle tryouts.
“That’s a lot, too,” Odom said. “It’s a bigger school but I think it shows how big softball is here. That’s what I’ve known about Ryle since I was playing at Dixie Heights. Ryle has always been known as a powerhouse team and has maintained that. The girls care about softball. That was enticing to me when I took the job.”
The team’s top player assured the new coach that every Raider cares deeply about the program and they also care about each other.
“We’re pretty close,” ace pitcher Maddie Goddard said. “Laney and I are good friends. She’s been catching me for a long time.”
Goddard is one of just three seniors along with Zoe Coop and Mikayla Kouns. With Goddard in the pitching circle and Schuster behind the plate, Ryle has one of the better batteries in Northern Kentucky, according to 9th Region coaches. They voted on the region’s top softball players in a preseason poll and Goddard received the most votes. Schuster tied for the fifth-most votes.
Schuster, who has committed to Southern Indiana, led the Raiders in home runs (5) and RBI (36). She was second among regulars in batting average (.353) and ranked third in hits (30) and doubles (6).
“She’s a very powerful player,” said Odom, who played at Thomas More University and graduated in 2019. “Laney is very focused and she’s a good leader right along with Maddie. They definitely feed off each other and they always want to improve.”
Goddard, a Transylvania commit, led Ryle in walks, tied for second in triples and homers and was fourth in hits, RBI and batting average (.342). She finished 14-9 as a pitcher with a 1.51 ERA and 126 strikeouts. With a 36-25 lifetime record and 341 strikeouts, Goddard needs 14 wins to reach 50 in her career and 159 strikeouts to reach 500.
“Maddie is an absolute workhorse,” Odom said. “She’s laser focused on her own skills but also works hard for the benefit of the team. Her big thing this year is to have fun.”
Juniors Laci DeLauder (.310) and Makayla Irvin (.429) and sophomores Makenna Hirshey (.324) and Rayne Patsel (.292) are among those with playing experience who also return.
The coaches voted Ryle the second-best team in the 9th Region behind only top-ranked Highlands, the two-time defending regional champion. Three of the Raiders’ 33rd District rivals are ranked in the top six including No. 3 Conner, No. 5 Cooper and No. 6 Boone County.
“Even though we lost a vast majority of the starters, the ones that are coming back see the missed opportunities last year,” Odom said. “With new opportunities, they view it as a fresh start and they have really come together for the team and themselves.”
Odom, out of college less than five years, looks like she could be part of the team. That helps with instruction, which can only aid the Raiders as they seek to fulfill their massive potential.
“I can still relate to them. It wasn’t that long ago when I played,” the coach said. “Just give me 10 minutes to loosen up and I’m out there.”
The Raiders open the schedule Thursday at Dixie Heights, Odom’s old stomping ground. The Colonels ended the Raiders’ season each of the past two years in the regional tournament.
“Mixed emotions is one way to describe it. I’m trying to push that aside,” Odom said. “Their coach (Sarah Osborne) was an assistant coach when I played at Dixie and she trained me to be a competitor. I like playing against them because they’re prepared, and they’ll prepare us.”
