LINDEN — Take a bow Piper Ramey. The North Montgomery junior had a season to remember for the Chargers this past spring on the softball diamond. Let’s just show her overall numbers that Ramey put up then we’ll dive into some historical context. At the plate this season Ramey batted an absurd .565 average with a .603 on-base%, and slugged an even 1.000. She had 39 hits, 17 of which went for extra bases with 10 doubles a triple and six long balls to go along with 37RBI’s. Something that could be argued is more impressive than any of those stats is that Ramey in 69 at-bats only struck out three times.
Her .565 is the best single season average in school history and her 37RBI’s ties the single season mark she set a year ago for the single season record.
Not only was Ramey the leading hitter for the Chargers but she was also relied upon to be their No.1 pitcher in the circle. In 92.1 innings Ramey struck out 110 batters.
On top of it all she was also asked to be the leader of a young Charger team that featured eight sophomores and two freshman.
“You don’t have Piper Ramey’s walk through your door every single day,” Charger coach Rob Earley said. “She’s such a calming presence for this team. When things aren’t going well our girls look to her to get things back on track. We all know what she’s capable of at the plate. She’s just a special player that all coaches dream of being able to have on their team. Her personality makes things that much better whether that be in the dugout or out there on the field with these girls.”
With those accolades and acheivements, Ramey has earned the title of the 2024 Journal Review Softball Player of the Year.
What makes Ramey’s numbers even more impressive is that the Sagamore Athletic Conference has it’s fair share of great pitchers with the likes of Audrey Lowry at Tri-West, the Lewis sisters of Western Boone and more. Ramey’s mentality remains the same whoever is on the mound as she knows that she can come through when her teams needs her.
“It’s a lot of fun to see all the hard work I’ve put into this sport pay off,” she said. “I put a lot of time into this game and getting to work with my teammates throughout the year and having them cheer me on every step of the way means a lot. When I step into the batters box I try and have a clear head and not really think about who’s on the mound. I know that I have the talent to get the job done. It comes down to me just seeing the right pitch and making good contact with it.”
Ramey does play travel ball year-round as softball has been her go-to sport. However that hasn’t stopped her from having plenty of success in her two other sports. In the fall she was joined by senior teammate Annabel Anderson as Co-Volleyball Players of the Year, she moved on to nearly average a double-double (12.6 pts & 9.5 rebs) in the winter with basketball and of course just put up insane numbers on the diamond.
“If Piper didn’t get a hit, she made sure to put the ball in play and try to move a runner or do whatever it took to have a positive at-bat,” Earley said. “She never went up there looking to have a lazy swing and never was overthinking things in the batters box. What’s great also about Piper is she doesn’t want it to be all about her. She really wants this team and these girls to do and perform well. She deflects all of the attention that she gets. She was our Team MVP at our awards banquet but I really broke it down further and used the letter M as ‘Mentor’ because that’s what she is for these young girls. They look up to a player like Piper and that’s something that she embraces.”
With one final season left with the Chargers next year, Ramey is already looking forward to making sure that her senior year is even better than the one she just put together. And in typical Piper fashion, she’s making sure it’s not just her who looks to get better.
“It starts with getting together with these girls in the off-season,” Ramey said. “That’s where good players become great and even if it’s just for a few days a week, we could come together and work on things. If we do that then we should put ourselves in a good spot to be successful .”
With a team that’s going to be full of juniors next season and having a leader like Ramey at the helm, the Charger softball program has their eyes set on 2025 as Ramey looks to end her career with a bang.
