Tradition has Kelly softball team hunting for state titles

Kelly senior Sydney Vinyard might have missed out on a chance to experience the tradition of Kelly softball if it hadn't been for her older sister.

"Actually, funny thing, my freshman year I decided I wasn't going to play any sports in high school," Vinyard said. "I played ball when I was younger and I had played basketball and done all sorts of things.

"I was just like, ‘You know what, I'm just going to start fresh.'"

She literally changed her mind in a moment.

"My sister was a senior, and she played softball," Vinyard said. "I remember we were at Notre Dame and she hit a triple against them, and I remember at that moment I'm like, ‘I want to do this.' So I came up to coach Rat [Rhonda Ratledge] right after that game and said, ‘I want to play.' And so I had to put in my 10 practices in at that time, and I ended up being a part of the team freshman year.

Southeast Missourian file (Danielle Dock, the older sister of current Kelly pitcher Alexis Dock, pitches during the Class 2 semifinals in 2008.)

"So that's when I realized I want this."

Vinyard will experience some of the "this" she was talking about when she and the Hawks play in the state semifinal against Brookfield at 11 a.m. today at the Killian Softball Complex in Sprinfield.

Kelly advanced to its 10th Class 2 final four under Ratledge, who has a record of 400-115 at the school. The Hawks have made the state semifinals six of the past nine seasons.

"Some of these girls, like Alexis Dock, she's had an older sister who's been to the final four," Ratledge said, talking about her freshman pitcher. "And when these girls were little they would come to the ballgames and watch these older girls play. Even their parents were taking them to the final four, whether it was in Columbia or whatever. So they just don't find out about it when they get here. They already have it in their mind that, ‘Oh, my sister did it. I'm doing it, too.'"

Dock is following in the footsteps of a couple women in her family. Her mom, Carri, played in three final fours for Kelly and her sister, Danielle, played in two.

"Oh, we bring it up all the time," Dock said. "They have given me stuff about it because my mom wants me to beat her record, and so does my sister."

Vinyard was a member of the team that advanced to the final four two seasons ago before eventually finishing fourth. She said she and the other upperclassmen try to pass on what it means to be a part of the team to younger players.

"Always," Vinyard said when asked if she talks to underclassmen about the team's tradition. "You have to tell them you've got to keep your momentum even if you feel like defeated, because we have been known to come back out of the slumps of terrible, terrible situations. You have the heart to play this kind of game. But not only this kind of game, but [to have] the team and the kind of tradition that we've created."

Ten of the 15 players on the roster are freshmen or sophomores in the final four for the first time.

"It means a lot," said sophomore centerfielder Samantha Ratledge. "I feel good, like I've achieved something because that's been our goal all year is to make it to state. Now our new goal is to win it."

Samantha Ratledge probably knows her coaches mantras better than most since she is also her stepmother.

"She's always saying, ‘You're wearing a Kelly softball uniform. Be proud,'" Samantha Ratledge said. "You've got to keep that reputation up."

Knowing that they each had a hand in doing that was something every player agreed was important to them.

"It means everything to know that," Vinyard said. "Not just because you're going down in the books and your name can be mentioned in papers and things -- but that you're part of a team of people who cares so much about it. That's what it means to me. The victory and the heart of it. To have coaches like coach Mel [assistant coach Melanie Heuring] and coach Rat, who not only just put the time in but put the heart in. The most valuable thing they can give you is their time, and they'll be out here until we feel like we're done."

Vinyard motioned out to the practice going on in front of her, where bunting was taking place.

"This team and these coaches -- I absolutely love them," Vinyard said. "I try not to get sappy because, you know, you want to be tough, but if I could tell anybody, I love these girls and I love my coaches. There's nothing like being a Kelly Lady Hawk."