Courtney Richey nearly went undefeated as a starting pitcher this past season for the Humboldt Lady Cubs, going 20-1. Her and the team’s only loss on the season came in the semifinals of the Class 3A State Softball Tournament on May 30 to Silver Lake — and that went into the eighth inning. The Lady Cubs finished third in the state tournament this year, but Richey is just a sophomore and has two more years to play for the Lady Cubs.
“I thought we did great,” Richey said. “I thought I did good. I had more strikeouts this year than I did last year, so I’m pretty proud.”
Richey now has her sights set as a pitcher this summer for the Wichita Mustangs, an under-16 traveling softball team. She will stay in Wellington with her uncle and aunt, Brandon and Jennifer Wilmoth.
The Mustangs will compete in eight tournaments starting with the Tulsa Elite Showcase in Broken Arrow, Okla.,Thursday through Sunday, and end at the PGF Nationals in Huntington Beach, Calif., July 20-25. They will also play in tournaments in Georgia, Colorado, Texas and Illinois between then.
Richey says her pitching should improve this summer, not only because of the stiff competition she’ll face, but a special pitching coach that the team has access to.
“He’ll fly in from Louisiana, I think,” Richey said.
Brad Piley, coach of the Humboldt softball team, said, “Working with the pitching coach will help her game savvy. They’ll work on making the pitches she already has and make them stronger. Pitching to the batters she’ll face also will help her out.”
Richey first started pitching when she was 12 and played for Crossfire, a traveling softball summer team.
“I just liked it and I decided to start pitching when my team got second in the World Series,” Richey said.
She eventually hopes her skills as a pitcher, and batter, will land her on a Division I college program’s roster, such as the University of Oklahoma or Wichita State.
Until then, Richey said her focus will be on helping her high school team win.
Her goal is simple.
“I want to win a state championship,” Richey said.
Despite coming in third place, Richey and her teammates wanted to do better and know that they were only one run away from playing for the championship. Richey gave credit to her teammates with their hold onto the 2-1 victory against Lyons/Chase High School on May 30.
“We did good,” Richey said. “The defense did great.”
Piley hopes that his entire team improves this summer.
