High school softball: Elyria Catholic's Jessica Conner put up monster numbers this season

Jim Piazza saw plenty of elite players during his many years coaching at Keystone. But no Wildcats player ever put together the statistical season Elyria Catholic junior Jessica Conner produced over the last couple months. "She's definitely up there (with some of the top Lorain County players)," said Piazza, who is now Elyria Catholic's athletic director and softball coach. "The consistency she's had over the last three years, as far as just getting better … when it was getting towards the end of the year and I was looking (at her stats), I go, 'Wow, .600 batting average, over 60 runs scored, over 60 RBIs … I don't think anybody's ever done that.' "I just think it's pretty amazing, especially with the competition in our conference and the teams that we played. The level she's played at and just her consistency have just been unbelievable." Conner — a University of Akron commit — became the first Lorain County softball player to finish with 70 hits, 63 runs scored and 60 RBIs in a season. She batted .642 (70-for-109) with 18 doubles, four triples and nine home runs. "I didn't know I was doing as good as I was because I was just so focused on trying to win and kind of being a leader and helping my team out rather than focused on my own stats," Conner said. "Then one day, probably about two weeks ago, I went and talked with my coach and he told me (the significance of the totals), so that was pretty cool." The batting average is second-best in the school behind Annika Bredel, who batted .758 in 2021. The 70 hits is a new single-season record for Lorain County, while the 60 RBIs is tied for fourth-best in the county with Keystone's Sammie Stefan, who drove in 60 runs in 2016, and Firelands' Cassie Wilmoth, who also finished with 60 RBIs in 1990. Keystone's Kerrigan Williams was the record holder with 68 hits, accomplished in 2021, while the other two players who've finished with more than 60 hits in a season are Amherst's Cassidy Kettleman (65 in 2021) and Keystone's Autumn Acord (63 in 2018). Bredel holds the county record for RBIs in a season with 70, while Keystone's Madi Nunez is second with 66. Piazza said it's no surprise to see Conner's name mixed in among all the Keystone greats as she reminds him of many of his former players. "It's kind of a mixture," he said. "She has little bits of everybody. She's like Kara Dill, who had very good hand-eye coordination and was able to place the ball wherever she wanted, and Brittney Robinson and Sammie Stefan with the power … she's just got a little bit of everything, and she's got a great work ethic and she's humble." Conner's offense was spectacular — her hitting line read .667 on-base percentage, 1.128 slugging percentage and 1.795 OPS — but she also was a terror on the base paths — finishing with 29 stolen bases — and a dynamo in center field — posting a .985 fielding percentage with 64 putouts and a pair of outfield assists. But one of the stats that might be the most impressive when it comes to Conner is that she only had three strikeouts in 129 plate appearances. "I guess that's kind of one of the main stats I do focus on," she said. "I always try to have the least amount of strikeouts I possibly can because in my mind it feels like I'm almost wasting my at-bat if I strike out. So I want to put the ball in play, try to make something happen and just focus on making contact. I'm not going to let any pitcher beat me." The jaw-dropping numbers have led to top-level postseason recognition. Conner was named to the first team in the All-Lorain County, All-North Coast Conference, All-Northeast District and All-Ohio lists. She was named the Player of the Year in the conference, county and district. The only other Lorain County softball player to earn All-Ohio recognition this season was Avon's Maria Young, who was named honorable mention in Division II. The one downside to Conner's big numbers is that she's not still adding to them. "I'm upset with how (our season) ended overall," she said. "I think we definitely improved in like every aspect this year, and I think that next season we're going to make it even better. I think we can use this season as kind of like a learning lesson. "I definitely feel like we're going to go to states. Everyone was so distraught after we lost our last game, because it was just a tough way to lose, so I definitely think that we're going to use that as motivation for next season, and that we can get the push that we need to go to states." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.