Holding their own: Freshman duo helping Chemics to big season

by Jason Wolverton

Emily Bentley and Amber Gerstacker know a thing or two about pressure.

The freshman duo man two of the most important positions on the field for a Midland High softball team heading into Monday’s doubleheader against Dow High. While a game against the cross-town rival Chargers is always big, this one is just a little bit bigger. If Midland High wins both games, they win the Saginaw Valley League championship. If they lose, they’ll swallow a bitter pill.

While that would be pressure enough for a seasoned player, it seems like it would be particularly overwhelming for a couple of freshmen. But Bentley and Gerstacker have proved that pressure is just another eight-letter word, as they’ve learned to ignore that pressure to make big contributions on a team with high aspirations.

Here’s the swing

By her own admission, Emily Bentley is not the kind of player who gets worked up about things. Heading into the season, Bentley got the chance to practice with the varsity during tryouts and quickly got an inkling that she could be playing on the big squad. While there were some nerves when she found out she had made the team, Bentley shook them off and instead focused on what got her there.

“You have to be confident in what you can do and know that they wouldn’t have put you on there if you weren’t good,” she says. “So you just have to take that into the games to prove yourself.”

And prove herself she has. Bentley is now the clean-up hitter and starting first baseman for the Chemics. Heading into the season, coach Jason Gehoski recognized Bentley as a player who could help the team’s offense a great deal. She has not disappointed.

“She’s a smart player, and she knows what’s going to happen in the game,” he says. “And offensively, she’s just got the swing.”

That swing has Bentley batting .370 overall this season with a team-high four home runs and 38 RBIs. More impressive yet, all four of those homers and most of the RBIs have come in league play where she is batting almost .500, meaning Bentley is stepping up when the games matter most. If the Chemics are to secure that coveted league crown, there’s a good chance Bentley will need to step up again.

“I’m excited, I’m pumped and I’m ready,” Bentley says of the Dow game. “This is what we play for, this is what we build up for. So to finally come to it and to battle things out is going to be great.”

And a miss

Amber Gerstacker can feel the stress. Literally.

The Chemics’ number two pitcher, Gerstacker has suffered from lingering soreness in her foot for a good portion of the season that put her in the trainer’s room on a few different occasions. After the pain didn’t subside on its own, her parents took her for X-rays. Late last week, doctors told her she had a stress fracture just above her ankle and would be done for the season.

“When I was hurting I didn’t think it was that serious,” Gerstacker said of the injury. “Obviously, I was really disappointed because it’s right before the Dow game and right before districts.”

Gerstacker will finish the season 8-7 with an ERA of 3.16. Like Bentley, she stepped up when it mattered most, going 7-2 with a 2.33 ERA against league opponents.

“I think her mental game has really improved a lot this year, so she’s right there in the varsity caliber,” Gehoski says. “Once we get her healthy, then I think her performance and confidence will pick up a lot.”

One thing that should help Gerstacker’s confidence is the fact that she’s following a similar path as Chemics’ sophomore ace Jami Shafley. Shafley served as the number two pitcher during her freshman season a year ago and posted numbers comparable to Gerstacker’s. This season, Shafley is 12-2 with a 0.89 ERA and will pitch every game from here on out for the Chemics.

“This is one sport where, if they’ve got the ability, freshmen can come right in and play the game,” Gehoski says. “After the jitters got done, [Gerstacker and Bentley] just gelled right in and things just went as planned.”

And the jitters are something Gerstacker readily admits to having from time to time, though she points out they are only temporary.

“Sometimes the nerves are there,” she says. “But once I start pitching, they go away.”

On deck

Bentley, Gerstacker, and co. will face a tall task in the cross-town Chargers, who already defeated the Chemics 10-0 earlier in the season during the Midland High School Varsity Quad.

But the Chemics know everything gets thrown out the window when it comes to a rival game and that previous records and scores don’t matter.

“All the seniors have been wanting to win an SVL championship for a while,” Bentley says. “To be able to help them would be great.”

As for Gehoski, regardless of the outcome he’ll be pleased with this season and all his players - freshmen or otherwise.

“I’m proud of all of these girls,” he says. “We put up some pretty high expectations and they’ve reached them.”