She's the engine atop the order

Alyssa Sims, a leadoff hitter and one of the most athletic catchers in South Jersey softball, reached first base safely, turned to her coach and, with a smile, asked:

"Am I done?"

"Come on. Really?" coach David Gurst said, laughing.

On the Cherry Hill West softball team, it's supposed to be a surprise when a player reaches a milestone. But thanks to some anonymous sources, Sims was well aware that she was on the verge of her 100th career hit.

As with most of the pressures Sims has faced in her storied career, she just hid it well.

"I knew I was close, so it was something I was striving for all year," said Sims, who recorded the hit in a victory Wednesday at Winslow Township. "It was a big relief when I finally got it."

The milestone is symbolic of the consistency Sims has shown throughout her career. The La Salle recruit is a reliable hitter and, on an otherwise young team, is the quintessential catcher: a vocal leader and anchor.

"Her biggest strength is her hard work," Gurst said. "She's very mentally tough. And she's the engine that drives our team."

Sims' development into that role started in the first inning of her first game as a freshman.

She entered her ninth-grade season expecting to start at first base. But West's senior catcher suffered a broken ankle while trying to stretch a single into a double in the first inning of the team's regular-season opener that year - thrusting Sims behind the plate one year sooner than she expected.

"It was scary, being thrown into a major role like that," Sims said. "But that actually gave me more drive; it made me more determined. I just made it my goal not to let the team down."

Since then, Sims has made strides every year toward the upper echelon of area softball players. She plays the sport practically year-round. And she credits much of her development to her travel-team coach, John Biasi.

"He was one of the people who made me believe that I could get a scholarship for playing softball," Sims said. "That was something that I was working very hard for. And to actually fulfill that goal was huge for me."

This year, Cherry Hill West (1-4) dropped its first four games as the young team tries to jell. For some players, starting the season 0-4 is a cause for panic. But Sims is keeping a level head.

"We have some great bats on the team," she said. "We just need to keep building chemistry and learning how to work together. But I think the team is going to be really good this year."

Gurst agreed, and pointed to his star catcher as a major reason why he has faith in his team.

"We have five seniors, and all of them lead by example," Gurst said. "And we have a lot of young talent. If we can jell by the end of the year, I think we can surprise a lot of teams.

"And Alyssa is the catalyst of that. She has been with me for four years, and she's almost like another coach for us. She's absolutely our vocal leader."