WESTHAMPTON – Hampshire Regional catcher Reagan Dubay trotted over to Raiders coach Brian McGan.
He called timeout and waved her over.
“If Joss strikes this next girl out throw me the ball,” McGan said.
He knew his pitcher Jocelyn Mettey sat at 499 career strikeouts with two outs in the second inning Wednesday against Northampton. If he tried to keep that fact a secret from Mettey in the circle, it didn’t work.
“I knew, but I didn’t think about it because I knew that might affect me,” Mettey said.
There aren’t many secrets between the coach and pitcher, whose five-year relationship has produced three Western Massachusetts championships. McGan didn’t know exactly what he had when Mettey transferred from Easthampton and earned the Raiders starting job as an eighth grader. Then she threw a no-hitter in her first career start.
“We had high hopes, and as time’s gone by and we’re closer, we’re able to communicate with each other. Now she knows what I want,” McGan said. “Once she starts to let off the gas, I can get on her a little more and she starts putting the gas back down.”
Mettey floored it for the last at bat of the second inning, striking out the side to register her 500th career punch out. She immediately removed her mask and raised both arms. Dubay flipped the ball to McGan, who raised it high and said, “that’s 500.”
Only two other pitchers have hit the 500-strikeout plateau in Hampshire’s illustrious softball history: two-time state champion Alexis Ferris (665) and eventual Division 1 pitcher Barbie LaFogg (666). Mettey would have had a shot to reach those milestones if the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t wipe out her freshman season.
“It would have put her in a different class, but she’s still in a great class,” McGan said. “Three great pitchers. Joss joining them is a great accomplishment.”
She entered the game needing just three strikeouts but didn’t register any in the first inning, allowing a double to Northampton’s Sasha Rodriguez. Then Mettey dialed in to start the second and punched out the next four batters she saw.
Hampshire batted around twice in the second and scored 16 runs, so McGan pulled Mettey and a few other starters off the field, giving them the curtain call.
“It felt good to know that I was home when I did it, not away where my friends and family couldn’t be there,” Mettey said.
The Raiders prevailed 21-1 in five innings. Hampshire’s CC Thayer hit a grand slam and a two-run triple. Teagan Charles added a two-run homer. Ashley Cortis (double, RBI), Hailey Wodecki (two RBIs), Emma Czarniecki, Ryanne Dubey (RBI) and Reagan Dubey all had two hits. Rachael Hickox singled three times (two RBIs).
Despite her strikeout totals, which can still rise, Mettey doesn’t consider herself a strikeout pitcher.
“It just had to happen. I feel like more people put the ball in play with me, and I trust my fielders to make the plays,” she said.
McGan pushed back on that. He feels more comfortable with it after knowing her for so long, after all.
“She throws hard, and if she hits her spot, she is a strikeout pitcher,” McGan said. “As long as she’s on with her spots, she gets a lot tougher.”
The Raiders (13-4) will close the regular season Thursday at Chicopee. They are the top ranked team in Class B for the Western Massachusetts tournament and the No. 2 team in the statewide Division 4 rankings. Bringing home more trophies would mean more to Mettey than racking up more Ks.
“She knows it’s more about what the team does. What the team does gives you these records,” McGan said. “Hopefully the future holds hard and we go deep into the playoffs. She’s most of all a great kid. The stuff on the softball field comes second. It’s more about how the personality and the kid is, and I can’t say much more about that.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.