Antioch sophomore catcher Addie Webb got a glimpse of her future by watching her older sister’s games.
Three years ago, Hailey Webb was the starting catcher for the Sequoits, and her main job was handling promising freshman pitcher Jacey Schuler.
“I loved to go to my sister’s high school games because I knew that would be my future too,” Addie Webb said. “I would pay attention to what pitches Jacey threw. Maybe that’s why we have such a good connection together. I grew up watching my sister but also watching Jacey.”
That’s paying dividends for Addie Webb, who is actually doing more than catching for the Sequoits (22-4, 9-2) during their run toward a third consecutive Northern Lake County Conference title. Antioch coach Anthony Rocco said she has shown great versatility by playing in right field and in the infield in her career, and she is batting .343 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs, a team-high 25 RBIs and 22 runs scored from the cleanup spot.
But catching is the thing.
“She has elite physical skills and great metrics with her arm strength and pop time,” Rocco said. “Her framework is excellent. She’s a very coachable kid and an outstanding teammate.”
Rocco said he sees a lot of similarities between the Webb sisters.
“Defensively, both call a good game,” Rocco said. “Both have good framework. But Addie has a better arm and better bat.
“Hailey was a lot faster. She can be a threat on the base paths and even did a lot of pinch running at Appalachian State.”
Schuler, a Michigan State recruit who led Antioch to second place in Class 3A last year and surpassed 1,000 career strikeouts in early May, sees the similarities too.
“(Addie) reminds me a lot of her sister,” Schuler said. “I had a great relationship with Hailey and (do with) Addie. Hailey mentored me as a freshman. I love to pitch to Addie and hopefully am being a good mentor to her.”
Schuler said she quickly bonded with Addie Webb, who played for the varsity team last season but didn’t catch.
“Addie does a great job framing my pitches and calling the game,” Schuler said. “She’s always talking behind the plate, which is very comforting. She also started calling my pitches from the beginning. I trust her a lot.”
Addie Webb said she was a little nervous about catching Schuler, though. They worked together in the offseason to get comfortable with each other.
“The toughest part of catching Jacey is knowing that, obviously, she’s a very good pitcher,” Addie Webb said. “I want to make sure that I don’t mess it up for her and make sure I’m helping her.”
Hailey Webb, who has entered the transfer portal after spending three seasons at Appalachian State, said she gave Addie several tips to speed up her learning curve this season.
“I loved catching for Jacey,” Hailey Webb said. “It’s exciting that I got to start and she gets to end Jacey’s career at Antioch. Jacey is one of the best pitchers I’ve caught for, so I told Addie to enjoy it because some others make you work for it a little extra and to be grateful for her talent and to have fun together.”
Addie Webb is a multisport athlete who also plays guard in basketball and right midfield in field hockey. She said she’s driven by competition on a daily basis in her family. Her older brother, Carter, is a senior and four-sport athlete at Antioch who was named all-conference in basketball this past season.
“I’ve always looked up to my sister and wanted to be just like her and play Division I,” Addie Webb said. “We’re very competitive in our house. Everyone is trying to beat each other. At the same time, we’re all very supportive of each other.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from Carter is hard work pays off. He has always had to earn his spot and never gave up. He’s always learning new skills or doing whatever it takes to succeed.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
