Ida B. Wells softball finding its way behind growing core
Published 10:21 am Thursday, April 17, 2025
Samantha Stevens (Staff photo: Austin White)
Evy Kakuska (Staff photo: Austin White)
Hayden Miramontes (Staff photo: Austin White)
Zoe Wise (Staff photo: Austin White)
Samantha Stevens (Staff photo: Austin White)
Liv Firestone (Staff photo: Austin White)
The trials and tribulations of a spring softball season in Oregon are nothing new for Ida B. Wells High School and its natural dirt and grass field next door to the high school at Rieke Elementary School.
So when the sun does shine for a little bit, the Guardians have to make the most of it. And so far in 2025 they have, as seen by a 6-7 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the PIL.
Last week, the Guardians took down PIL mainstay Franklin with a 14-9 victory April 10, a home game that was moved to the turf at Grant High School because of earlier rain. Wells followed it up with a 2-1 win over Grant back at Rieke to complete the back and forth week.
It’s a great start to an 18-game PIL schedule that saw the Guardians take third last year and make it to the postseason.
“I think we want to show the rest of the league what we can do,” Wells junior Zoe Wise said. “(The win against Franklin) really showed us how well we can play together. I think there are still areas for improvement, but I think overall this is how we’re going to continue this season and we want to keep showing teams who we are.”
Wise, who is a student at St. Mary’s Academy but plays for Wells due to the Blues not having a softball team, has been a vital cog in the Wells machine this spring, easily leading the team in RBIs with 10 while also sitting second in batting average (.345) and on-base percentage (.441).
She’s also been a reliable glove over at third base for the Guardians where she had to make several plays against a hard-hitting Franklin squad.
Keira Thomas, who is also a student at St. Mary’s, is the batting average leader on the squad at .355 and is second in RBIs with five, three of which came against Franklin.
The duo are not only best friends, but are important for making the Wells offense go.
“Playing softball for them is a harder thing for them to do because they have to get to the field on their own, so they have to put in a lot of work and effort to be here and they have to work harder to have that team cohesion because they’re not in classes,” Wells head coach Krissy Govertson said. “(Thomas) is a captain and (Wise) was nominated to be a captain, so they’re both up there in terms of leadership. So whether they’re doing well or not well in the field, they’re still motivating their team to make plays and be their best self.”
Those two are far from alone in the lineup with senior Kai Wisher, sophomore Hayden Miramontes and sophomore Sophia Paladino all batting above .300. Miramontes even had a home run in a 13-8 win over rival Lincoln on April 4.
Out in the field, junior Samantha Stevens is the ace with the most innings pitched for the squad, owning a 6.07 ERA.
In a league filled with young and growing talent, Stevens doesn’t allow Wells to beat itself by keeping walks to a minimum, only throwing 12 of them in 42.2 innings pitched along with 34 strikeouts. Stevens lets the defense back her up and often this season it’s had her back.
“(Stevens) is so tough, she obviously has a lot of experience, she’s been playing awhile,” Wise said. “She’s a fantastic pitcher and she’s always there. She’s so supportive of the entire team and she’s a great hitter too.”
Govertson described how Stevens has constantly been in the gym since last season, adding at least 20 pounds to her frame from her diligent workout routine.
More importantly than that, Stevens has been extremely coachable and willing to do whatever the staff may ask of her. Whether it’s playing shortstop for the first time ever to allow a younger pitcher some reps or working harder at practice, Stevens gets the job done and sets the tone for the Guardians.
“She out hustles everyone on the field combined,” Govertson said. “She sets the tone. If she’s working hard, other girls follow her. And in terms of program development, she’s really leading the way in that space and you can’t ask for a more coachable kid.”
Speaking of program development, Wells is the only program in the PIL fielding a JV2 team with more than 40 players out this spring.
The Guardians have seen a steady climb in participation and are seeing the benefits with so many juniors and underclassmen stepping up to the plate this season and last.
“We lost our batting lineup, like the whole top half of the batting lineup graduated,” Govertson said. “They definitely had big shoes to fill, but the advantage of this team is I think they knew that, and they were already working on it last year to be ready to fill it.”
Following a 13-0 loss to Cleveland on April 15, the Guardians are a third of the way through the PIL slate with a rematch up next against defending champion McDaniel at 5 p.m. Friday, April 18, at Rieke Field.
Having seen each squad once, the Guardians hope the next 12 games will help lift the program to new heights come the middle of May.
