Catchers don’t get enough credit for what they carry. AUSL Rookie of the Year Reese Atwood carried more than most this year. Night after night, she did it right after a full collegiate season at Texas that ended with a Women’s College World Series title for the second consecutive year.
Atwood’s offensive numbers were nice. She finished the year batting .309 with a 1.140 OPS, 8 home runs and 25 RBIs. But the task she was thrust into more than planned, due to Kayla Kowalik’s injury, was more admirable.
With Kowalik down, the Blaze leaned on their rookie to catch nearly every inning down the stretch. Another number for context is that Atwood caught 12 different pitchers this year between Texas and Carolina. That isn’t as easy as it looks. Blaze general manager Dana Sorensen spoke in detail of what that stretch asked of Atwood.
“If we’re all being honest, she caught a 56-game college season, then a 10 to 15 game run in the postseason, then all the games in the World Series,” Sorensen said in the end-of-season call. “She came here and had maybe one or two games where she didn’t catch, and then Kayla was out and she caught for most of them. You’re gonna pay a price for that.”
The price rarely showed up where most fans look for it. Atwood kept producing at the plate even as the innings piled up behind it, but Sorensen saw the wear as a veteran in this game that knows what to look for.
“I don’t think we saw it offensively, but there were moments,” Sorensen said. “To her credit, she tried as hard as she can, but you get worn down back there. But hey, she was ready to squeeze bunt in the final game and try to beat it out.”
That last detail is the one that sticks. Worn down or not, Atwood still gave it all through the last game of a season whose outcome had already been decided. That is no surprise to anyone who has watched Atwood or knows her. She is a competitor and wouldn’t take it easy even if you asked her to.
