Prep softball: Wasilla senior dominates diamond

May 22, 2007

MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - It's no secret, but Wasilla's softball team has perhaps the most dangerous weapon in the state.

Senior pitcher Anne Wesser has emerged this season as a force to be reckoned with, striking out nearly two out of every three hitters she faces in leading the Warriors to a 6-4 record.

&#8220I don't think anybody in the state has a player like her,” Wasilla coach Sue Allen said last week after Wesser struck out 15 Colony hitters in a 4-1 victory.

The Colony win capped a stellar week that saw Wesser strike out 32 hitters in 16 innings of work, including a nine-inning, no-hit masterpiece against previously undefeated Juneau-Douglas on May 9. Over the past weekend, Wesser was again dominant, striking out 17 hitters Friday in a 4-3 win over West Valley.

Allen said she believes that having Wesser on the mound instantly makes Wasilla a top contender.

&#8220I think she's the hardest pitcher to hit in the state,” she said.

And although she's the head coach, Allen said she can't take credit for her senior star's success. That belongs entirely to Wesser and her father, Ralph, a Wasilla assistant and Anne's only pitching coach.

&#8220He's been coaching me since I started playing,” Anne Wesser said.

That was when Wesser was just nine years old.

&#8220Her bigger sister, Lindsey, was pitching already,” Ralph said.

Once little sis picked up the ball, Ralph said he knew Anne had something special.

&#8220Her first batter she pitched to, she struck out,” he said.

Since then, Anne and Ralph have been a team within a team for Wasilla. Dad calls the pitches from the dugout, and Anne carries out the instructions with pinpoint accuracy.

Wesser's best pitch is her rise ball, although she also throws a sinker and a change-up. Ralph said he usually starts hitters off with a riser, then works Anne through her other pitches according to the count and each particular hitter.

Having Ralph call the game and coach Anne, coach Sue Allen said, makes her job a whole lot easier.

&#8220It makes coaching this team so easy,” Allen said.

Ralph Wesser said he started coaching his daughters, he didn't know much about

softball or pitching.

&#8220I started looking at every video and book I could get a hold of,” he said.

As Anne's softball skills progressed, Ralph said he initially thought his coaching skills were to blame. As time's gone on, however, he said he's started to realize his daughter - also an All-State center on Wasilla's state champion basketball team - is just a natural athlete.

&#8220I thought I was a pretty good coach,” he said. &#8220But I've come to learn she's just a good player.”

Coach Allen said the combination of Ralph's coaching and Anne's natural talent is what makes the duo so special.

&#8220He's the brains behind the brawn,” Allen said.

Both Wessers are intense competitors on the field. As Anne goes through her pre game routine, Ralph usually stands nearby, stoically watching and giving pointers when needed.

The relationship has worked well, and Anne said she and her father rarely disagree when it comes to pitching.

&#8220Sometimes I get frustrated, but it's more because I'm not pitching the way I want to,” she said.

Watching the father-daughter team work to improve Anne's game, Sue Allen said, is one of her favorite parts of coaching the Wasilla team.

&#8220They're pretty intense out there,” Allen said. &#8220They're fun to watch.”

Although Anne may finish the season as the state's top softball player, she said she has no plans to pursue the sport after high school. Instead, she'll attend AU in the fall, where she plans to pursue academics full time.

With three still weeks left in her career, however, both father and daughter said they plan to make the most of their highly-successful partnership.

&#8220We're just trying to do the best we can,” Ralph Wesser said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com