Another year older, another year wiser for Roosevelt softball in 2025
Published 11:34 am Saturday, April 26, 2025
Zulaykha Armstrachan (Staff photo: Austin White)
Roosevelt softball team celebrates a home run by Annabella Murphy. (Staff photo: Austin White)
Ruby Frish (Staff photo: Austin White)
Ruby Frish (Staff photo: Austin White)
Zulaykha Armstrachan (Staff photo: Austin White)
Zulaykha Armstrachan (Staff photo: Austin White)
Jeannie Ederer (Staff photo: Austin White)
Annabella Murphy (Staff photo: Austin White)
Gigi Thurston (Staff photo: Austin White)
Annabella Murphy, front, Penny Thurston (Staff photo: Austin White)
Livi Jones (Staff photo: Austin White)
The 2024 season was one to forget for the often powerful Roosevelt High School softball program.
The Roughriders went 7-16 overall and 5-13 in PIL play, missing the postseason and not ever standing in contention for the league crown.
With the entire roster back in 2025 though, the Riders are proven they’ve learned what it takes to win and they’re doing it often.
As of April 26, Roosevelt is 9-5 overall and 7-2 in the PIL, which puts it in a tie for first with Cleveland. The Riders beat the Warriors in their first of three meetings 12-6 on April 16.
“I just really like how they support each other on a personal level, pick each other up and keep it going too,” Roosevelt first-year head coach Annaisabel Perez said. “They keep that motivation by being loud in the dugout, having synchronized cheers. They answer back all the time.”
This year, that experienced group still only has three seniors in Livi Jones, Zulaykha Armstrachan and Leslie Homan, but they are like the Three Musketeers as Perez described.
The trio have been dominating at the plate with Jones leading the way with a .576 batting average and an insane .731 on-base percentage thanks to 19 hits and 18 walks. Not only that, but Jones has a team-high 29 RBIs and three home runs, coming in clutch whenever the Riders need her.
“(Jones is) great at first, she’s great at stretching and keeping her composure,” Armstrachan said. “She’s just a great teammate.”
Armstrachan isn’t too far behind Jones with a .450 BA and a .585 OBP. The starting catcher gets it done on the base paths too with a team-high 11 stolen bases and is tied for first for the most runs scored with 24.
More importantly, she’s a constant positive and loud voice in the dugout when the Riders are up to bat, and she takes that same energy to the field to lead from home plate.
“(Armstrachan) definitely commands the game, she controls it and knows when to pick it up or slow it down,” Perez said. “She has that game IQ that is so intuitional and is really hard to find in players these days. She has tons of experience and she’s so level-headed when it matters the most.”
The offensive talent doesn’t end there with freshman Annabella Murphy coming on to the scene strong with a .476 BA and a .593 OBP, and she’s tied for the lead on the team in runs scored with 24. Homan is hitting .326 with a .367 OBP and has scored 18 runs.
In the circle, it’s sophomore Ruby Frish once again throwing nearly all of the Riders innings. She’s got a 3.67 ERA and 61 strikeouts with 31 walks after earning PIL first-team honors as a freshman last year.
Put it all together and you’ve got an experienced squad that’s got senior leadership to pair with young and upcoming talent.
“Got some new freshmen coming in and just trying to forget last year, we’re a new team this year,” Armstrachan said. “Just hoping we can come out and get some wins this year.”
And with Perez leading the way, the Riders have continued to gel as a collective group.
“I’m the coach, but I like to treat it like a group project, I want everyone’s input and make it like a collaborative experience rather than just me ordering them around,” Perez said of her first year leading the team. “I feel like they respond well when they’re listened to and the feedback is taken and also applied and they respond.”
Roosevelt and the rest of the PIL are only halfway through the 18-game league slate, but the Riders are on top after the first half.
Up next is a tough stretch that starts with the defending PIL champs in McDaniel at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29 on the road. Roosevelt won the first matchup 8-4.
After that, it’s a date with Franklin at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 at home. The Lightning won the first game 18-2.
Then to close the week it’s a rematch with Cleveland at 4 p.m. Friday, May 2 at Woodstock Park. Roosevelt won the first game 12-6 to take the earlier tiebreaker.
Roosevelt is still young and growing, but if it can find the right consistency, there’s no telling where the youthful Riders ceiling is.
“It’s probably consistency since we are a younger team,” Perez said of the team’s biggest goals. “Being a young team, having that mental resilience and being able to bounce back from things and let things slide off of you. But for the most part, they’ve been doing really well.”
