Gabi Keith and Monica Lane pride themselves on working on their softball skills year-round. Keith, an upcoming senior, and Lane, a rising junior, play for the Warren County High School softball team in the spring, then join traveling teams for tournaments most weekends from May to November.
Keith and Lane don’t play on the same team, but their travels have brought them together in Denver, Colorado for the Triple Crown Tournament.
Keith, an All-District 6-AAA pitcher for the Lady Pioneers, plays for the Tennessee Eagles, an 18-and-under team in NSA’s Gold division. Lane is the primary pitcher for Team Easton, an East Tennessee based 16-and-under squad.
Keith arrived in Colorado on Monday to take part in the tournament with her squad. Lane also made her way to the ballfields at Christopher Field Sports Complex. It was at the week-long softball event where Lane also got a few lessons pitching from a legend in the softball circle.
Lane received instruction from Monica Abbott, a pitcher for Team USA and a graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Abbott is well-known in softball circles, having been a part of Team USA’s silver medal team at the 2008 Olympics after playing in back-to-back College World Series with the Lady Vols. Abbott is currently a member of the Chicago Bandits, a professional softball team.
Lane, who stands 5-foot-4, first noticed Abbott before the camp because of the sheer size of the dominant lefty, who is 6-foot-3.
“I could see her coming from across the park,” said Lane. “She’s awesome. It was great working with her.”
Lane’s workout with Abbott lasted for two hours, as Lane decided she would attend the pitching camp over second base, her primary position for the Lady Pioneers. The decision was an easy one, especially with the possibility of learning from Abbott.
“I picked pitching because that’s what I enjoy doing the most,” said Lane. “Abbott was the one chosen to lead our group. It could have been (two-time gold medalist) Michelle Smith.”
Lane appeared in 11 games as a pitcher for the Lady Pioneers last season and boasted a 4-1 record with an ERA of 1.37.
Lane was able to warm up and show off a variety of pitches for Abbott, including her assortment of fast, curves, rise and drop balls. Though Abbott’s reminder to Lane about keeping her elbow in when throwing curveballs was the only tip Abbott shared while Lane threw, it was Abbott’s insistence on preparation which Lane will remember most.
“She stressed the importance of being loose so you can pitch a lot of innings,” said Lane. “She also showed us her warm-up routine and some stretches I’ve never seen and workouts to build velocity.
“She told us how solid mechanics are key to hit locations.”
Lane took the instructions from Abbott and carried them into an All-Star game she was selected to appear in Monday afternoon. Lane started and pitched two innings for her team, which won 7-6.
Lane then followed it up by winning in her only start for Team Easton in their four games of pool play. Lane pitched a complete game as Team Easton triumphed over Quest from Topeka, Kan. 5-2. Team Easton finished pool play 2-2.
Keith, a 14-game winner last season who posted 143 strikeouts, made her debut at the tournament on Wednesday. The Eagles went 0-4 during the pool play, but Keith was effective in her two starts, pitching seven innings and giving up two runs on three hits while striking out six. Keith was in line for wins in each of her starts before the team gave up the lead late.
Both teams will begin tournament play today. The double-elimination tournament is scheduled to conclude over the weekend.
Whether or not Keith or Lane can capture a crown remains to be seen, but the experience of playing in a prestigious tournament should benefit both Lady Pioneers next season.