Unsung players come up big for North

Maybe it’s just hard to come up with a catchy chant using the names, “Amanda Wells” and “Amy Vanderwell.”

Wells and Vanderwell are key parts of the Olathe North softball team, an 18-4 squad that won a regional championship May 14. Yet at the regional title game, the North students in the stands could mostly be heard chanting for junior pitcher Sarah Espy.

Wells and Vanderwell understand why Espy gets the bulk of the cheers. The pitcher’s circle includes the most pressure, but also the most prestige.

“Pitching and catching is the main thing in the sport and (Espy) controls the whole game,” Vanderwell said. “She did great, and they had a reason to chant for her.”

While Espy and power hitting senior Marissa Ingle deservedly get the most attention, Wells and Vanderwell have been quietly solid all year.

They continued that trend during the regional playoffs. Wells went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the playoff opener, a 4-0 win against Shawnee Mission Northwest. Then she added an RBI single in her first at-bat to help put the Eagles on the path to a 4-3 win against SM West in the regional championship game.

“I was hoping I would hit better than I did against East (in the regular-season finale),” Wells said. “I think I stepped up a little more. I seem to hit better when I have to move runners.”

Wells also has given the Eagles a solid, reliable glove at third base and she’s only a sophomore, which has North coach Sarah Hanson excited about the future.

“Amanda has elevated her play from last year,” Hanson said. “The thing that folks don’t know is that we haven’t seen the best of Amanda Wells yet. We’re going to see it in the next two years.”

Meanwhile, the future is now for Vanderwell, a junior whose athletic mix of height and quickness serves her well at the plate and in the field at second base.

She had three hits in the regional playoffs, legging out two infield singles and driving in a run with a solid base-knock to right-field.

“You move base runners, that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Vanderwell said. “I feel good when I go up there because I’m confident in myself and I know I can hit it.”

Vanderwell has a key role at second base, since right-handed hitters have a hard time pulling the ball against the hard-throwing Espy. With long arms and quick feet, Vanderwell’s been able to scoop up most anything in her territory.

She said she’s starting to feel at home at second base after shifting positions to fill voids wherever the Eagles needed her as a sophomore. She’s also got poise to spare — no matter how intense the games get, she’s often wearing a smile that puts her teammates at ease.

“Amy Vanderwell is the barometer,” Hanson said. “She really gives us a feel of how things are going. She’s consistent on defense, she’s consistent on offense and she’s so coachable.”

Right now things are going pretty well for the Eagles. They’ve got a league championship and a regional title in the bag and are going to state for the first time in four years.

That’s the reward Wells, Vanderwell and most of the Eagles were working for anyway, not a few short-lived chants.

“We’re all so ecstatic, it’s ridiculous,” Wells said. “We had a sign that said, ‘Party like it’s 2004’ because we hadn’t made it (to state) since then. Hopefully we can go all the way.”