Wetumpka softball coach Daryl Otwell had high expectations for his squad entering the 2023 season, but the Indians went above and beyond this year.
They finished the season with a state-best 54-6-1 record and claimed the AHSAA Class 6A state championship for the second time in program history and first time since 2015.
The Indians went 4-0 in the state tournament, claiming a 2-1 walk off victory over defending champion Athens in the championship.
For his team’s performance, Otwell has been named the 2023 Elmore County Softball Coach of the Year.
“We knew as a coaching staff that we had a pretty good team going in,” Otwell said. “We had big expectations, but then we got to 54 wins and three or four of our six losses were on walk-offs and could’ve gone either way. I’m proud of the girls and how consistent they were with their work.”
As Wetumpka kept winning, the target on its back got bigger.
The Indians won their first 24 games, including the Prattville, Glencoe and home tournaments.
With a 24-0 record and three trophies, Wetumpka earned some national recognition. The Indians were ranked as the No. 1 team in the state and No. 11 across the entire country. From then on, there were no more surprises. Teams across the state knew Wetumpka was good.
“Our big message this year was to not get complacent and I think the girls bought into that,” Otwell said. “They worked hard and never really took days off. Just when you think you have it all figured out, things can quickly change for you too.”
Wetumpka suffered its first loss of the year shortly after the rankings came out, a 5-4 extra innings loss to Calera. The Indians bounced back with another 12-game win streak then finished the regular season with a 44-4-1 overall record and a 4-0 record in area play.
Wetumpka hosted its area tournament and got its real first taste of adversity at home. At 2-0 in the area tournament, Wetumpka needed one more win to clinch the title or two losses to become the No. 2-seed in regionals.
Benjamin Russell then proceeded to beat Wetumpka, 1-0, to set up a winner-take-all championship game. It was the first time Wetumpka had been shut out all season. With its backs against the wall, Wetumpka bounced back with a 10-0 run-rule in the title game to win the area championship.
One game later, Wetumpka found itself on the brink of elimination.
To open the regional tournament down in Gulf Shores, Wetumpka lost to Baldwin County, 3-0. The Indians struck out 17 times and recorded only one hit in the game. But with their backs against the wall again, Wetumpka went on to win four-straight games and clinched a state tournament berth as the No. 2 seed in the south. In those four games, Wetumpka outscored opponents 34-4.
“One thing about this team throughout the entire season is that we never lost back-to-back games,” Otwell said. “After every loss, this team always responded. After that Baldwin County loss, we just challenged the team and told them that it’s on them. They responded well.”
Wetumpka rode that four-game regional win streak into Oxford and the state tournament. No player on Wetumpka’s roster had ever competed at state, as the Indians last trip was in 2015’s championship run.
Despite the inexperience at the state tournament, Wetumpka did not let the stage get too big.
In the opening game, Wetumpka took down Oxford, 2-1 with a go-ahead hit in the sixth inning. The Indians then kept the momentum going with a 5-2 win over Hazel Green then took on Spanish Fort in the winner’s bracket final. After giving up a 7-0 lead, Wetumpka walked off the game in the bottom of the seventh to punch its ticket to the championship.
In the title game, Wetumpka found itself down, 1-0, in the sixth inning. The Indians tied the game up on a wild pitch, 1-1, then walked off the game on sophomore Chloe Taylor’s single in the eighth inning.
The Indians were in a tie, or one-run game, in the fifth inning or later of every state tournament game. But the pressure didn’t matter as they came through each time to go 4-0 and swept their way to the 6A state championship.
“I was really shocked with how cool and calm our players were in Oxford,” Otwell said. “They always seemed to just play each pitch and they never really felt the pressure. They just showed up and played.”
