Hico – It is often said that behind every great pitcher is a great catcher.
Midland Trail has had a pair of excellent pitchers in the circle the last few seasons and it is no coincidence that Sydney Sheets has been behind the mask for both of them.
“Syd does a great job keeping pitchers zoned in and talking them up when they get down on the selves,” Midland Trail head softball coach Candace Young said. “She has been behind the plate for Emmie (Lopetrone) who came to us (from Valley) and really wasn’t from here. They developed this battery-type mentality. She kept her up and she would come to me and tell me what we needed to throw. She did the same thing last year with (Meghan) Gill.”
Sheets’ ability behind the plate also caught the attention of WVU Tech head softball coach Amber Affholter.
“I have watched Sydney over the last four years. She has been the catcher for Meghan Gill and I coached Meg for pitching,” Affholter said. “I have been able to observe Sydney’s skill set and she is very coachable. She hustles, she is intelligent and she knows the game.”
The skill set impressed Affholter enough for the WVU Tech coach to offer Sheets a spot on the Golden Bears’ roster next season.
Earlier this month, Sheets made it official when she signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball for the Golden Bears.
“Today has been nice and having everyone here was nice. I love the support and I am really excited,” Sheets said after the signing. “I have been wanting to play for awhile, but when I decided to go to nursing school I was unsure. Then I decided to give it a try and it all worked out. I like the school and how close it is to home. I can still stay at home and go to school.”
The combination of nursing and softball was a perfect fit with the Golden Bears.
“She is a potential nursing student. That is one of our thriving majors right now and I have quite a few kids on the team in nursing,” Affholter said. “I am super excited to bring her on board because she will get the opportunity to play college softball and be a nurse. A lot of schools you don’t get that type of opportunity.”
Playing at the next level is a great reward for a young lady that all she every wanted to do was be a catcher.
“They brought her to me when she was like in fourth grade. Her older cousin played and Sydney wanted to be a catcher,” Young said. “She was maybe 45 pounds and maybe three-foot tall, but she played like 6-foot-5 even at that age. “She has this size doesn’t matter type attitude and she is going to go hard whether she is the biggest kid out there or the smallest. That is what you want behind the played.”
Young has been a huge factor in Sheets’ success over her career.
“I wanted to be a catcher as soon as I started and Candace worked with me,” Sheets said. “She was really inspirational and I wanted to be like her. I love it back there. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Often times catchers get the bad rap as only defensive players. Sheets is one of the best defensively, but she can also swing the bat.
“We have seen her really progress over the last two or three years with her hitting. She is not a big kid, but she has such power coming through (the hitting zone) with her bat,” Young said. “She has hit several home runs, but she is not just a power hitter. If I ask her to lay it down, she will. She is a team hitter. She will keep us in games whether it is going yard, hitting singles or laying down (bunts), whatever we need.”
The selfless portion of her character also caught the attention of the WVU Tech coach.
“Whatever the team needs, she is willing to do that. She is willing to sacrifice her at bat,” Affholter said. “I think those are all great qualities to bring to Tech and I feel like she will fit in academically as well.”
Sheets became a successful high school player for a reason and Young sees that translating to the next level as well.
“In ten years of coaching, she is easily the hardest working kid that we have had,” Young said. “At the next level, she will be the one that goes to the gym early. She will be the one that stays on the tee late. Those are things as a coach, no matter what you level you are, that you can appreciate having a kid that will put in that extra work.”
