Minco’s McComas better after sophomore slump

MINCO — Ceiley McComas knew what success was like in the batter’s box. She just couldn’t regain that feeling.

She pressed. She grew frustrated. She ultimately struggled.

A sophomore slump at its worst.

“I wasn’t confident,” McComas said.

A year later, that confidence and swagger have returned. McComas enters No. 7 Minco’s Thursday Class 2A state tournament opener with No. 2 Silo a better version of herself.

“This is my first player — and we’ve had a bunch of good ones — that’s hit over .600,” Minco coach Jason Little said. “The girl is an animal. She’s just crushing the ball.”

McComas, a junior third baseman, enters the tournament batting .607 with five home runs, including one in Tuesday’s regional championship series.

She’s the key part of a Minco lineup that has struck out just 12 times in the postseason. A pretty impressive feat for a team that lost five starters to graduation from last year’s state tournament team.

“A lot of people doubted us and we had a lot of prove this year,” McComas said. “I’m proud because we worked hard to get here. Everyone said we weren’t going to be very good.”

McComas’ slump last season started after an adjustment was made to her swing in travel ball. It took until the playoffs to be worked out. She found a rhythm and carried that into this season, where she’s become the leader of a dangerous team.

“I think it refocused her on the amount of work and cuts it would take her to get back where she should be,” Little said. “She just doesn’t want to fail and will do everything in her power to get better.”

Three players to watch in the state tournaments

The Class 3A-B softball state tournaments begin Thursday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

Here is a look at three local players to watch:

Katelynn Carwile, P/OF, Purcell: Just a sophomore, Carwile is an impressive two-way player for Class 3A No. 11 Purcell. She’s batting .449 with eight home runs and she’s also struck out 136 batters in 116 innings pitched.

Lyndie Ervin, P, Washington: The third-ranked Warriors’ catalyst, Ervin sits atop the order and has scored 40 times behind a .500 on-base percentage. A USAO commitment, she’s also 19-3 with a 2.15 ERA in 127 innings.

Delanie Manning, P, Dale: One of the most powerful hitters in the state, Manning has put together an impressive offensive campaign for Class 2A No. 1 Dale with 10 home runs, 55 RBIs, 19 doubles and a .425 average. She’s also 30-2 with a 0.90 ERA and 140 strikeouts.