The presence of freshman pitcher Madelayne Ruffner has made the Rams almost unbeatable when she throws. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Youth has been served so far this softball season at Shepherd University’s Sara Cree softball facility.

The presence of freshman pitcher Madelayne Ruffner has made the Rams (15-15 at the beginning of the week) almost unbeatable when she throws.

The freshman sister of senior pitcher Hannah Ruffner was 11-1, with a miniscule 0.83 ERA and an eye-catching 148 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched when this week began. Opponents only had a .177 batting average against the youthful Ruffner. Both Ruffners played at Washington High School.

However, Madelayne did not pitch last Saturday, when the Rams were swept in a conference doubleheader by Lock Haven University.

After the stinging losses to the Bald Eagles, the Rams were 15-15 overall and 5-7 in the East Division of the conference. Only five teams from each nine-team division of the league qualify for the tournament.

East Stroudsburg University, Shippensburg University and West Chester University all had 7-3 league records while Bloomsburg University was 6-4. Shepherd stood in seventh place with its 5-7 record.

The freshman Ruffner is also batting .316 as a hitter this season.

Leading the team in RBIs (25) and second in homers (3) is Alex Mantz, a .333 hitter. Camdyn Noland has a .313 average. The sophomore from Washington High School leads the Rams in home runs with four and is second to Mantz in RBIs with 19.

Shepherd’s usual lineup includes Brenna Collins, a .299 hitter with 14 RBIs as a freshman from Hedgesville High School, Lauren Alt (.276), Lauren Moore (.267), Lexi Clatterbuck (.253), Isabella Forte (a .241 hitter from Hedgesville High School) and Caitlin Donnelly (.231).

Hannah Ruffner has a 2-4 pitching record in eight starts with a 5.56 ERA and Katie Laing is 0-6 with a 5.04 ERA in five starts.

Shepherd with its losing league record failed to qualify for the conference tournament in 2023.

Coach Marissa Leslie is in her seventh season as the Shepherd head coach.

The freshman Ruffner already has 11 of the team’s 15 wins, meaning her presence means Shepherd can be competitive with any team in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Without her, the Rams become much more vulnerable in their quest for a winning season and berth in the PSAC tournament.