REED CITY — As usual, it’s a busy summer for Sidni Rushford.
The Reed City junior is playing on two softball teams and also focusing on other sports such as basketball and volleyball.
She’s been pitching for Reed City during the summer Local Area Teams League every Wednesday at Bristol. She’s also playing for the Grand Rapids Elite program. Games are usually on her slate from Wednesday though Sunday.
“I pitch a lot, but sometimes I play first base,” Rushford said. “I want to improve my pitching so I can be strong for high school pitching.”
Rushford, for the second straight high school season, shared pitching duties with Jules Griffin, who has graduated.
“I thought it went really well,” she said. “I thought we were strong coming into the district (title) game. We had some events happen during the game. I thought I did well.”
The Coyotes lost in the district final.
Rushford batted second in the lineup with a .322 batting average. 468 on-base percentage, .508 slugging percentage, 25 RBIs, 10 doubles, five triples, and one home run, plus 23 stolen bases and a fielding percentage of .971.
The key for a good hitting season, “was keeping my hands through the zone,” she said, adding on her pitching, “I should probably get my fastball faster, but my changeup is pretty effective. It drops as soon as it gets over the plate.”
In the other sports, Rushford’s basketball teams ended their summer workouts in June and volleyball is starting. There’s plenty going on, she said, but athletes continue to realize the importance of putting in the work during the summer.
