Lyons High School may be small, but the level of talent it possesses on the softball field has the Lions swinging like a heavyweight. The departure of last year’s ace, Ceci Chiaravalle, would have crippled a normal program in the year that followed. Chiaravalle led the entire state with 255 strikeouts through 23 games and served as the catalyst toward the Lions winning regionals and earning a bid to the Class 3A state tournament. Her sophomore successor, Gretta Wynja, already has 126 strikeouts through 14 appearances, ranking her 13th in the nation among states that play in the fall season and No. 1 in Colorado. She’s just one of the many sophomore faces leading the Lions to a 10-4 record this year and credits her strong defense behind her for her ability to slay in the circle. “It was kind of scary a little bit, because I had big shoes to fill, but once the season started, it just became softball again,” Wynja said. “It was just like I got back in my flow and everything came natural and good.” She, along with catcher Ava Vasquez, shortstop Leora Hagan and center fielder Autumn Johnsey, have all been playing together since they were 3 years old. The chemistry between Wynja and Vasquez, who leads the team in hitting specs, was on full display during a cloudy warmup ahead of their home matchup against Platte Valley, who they dispatched with a 16-0 score. Over the years, they’ve built up quite the relationship from either side of home plate. “We can just feel each other,” Wynja said. “We just connect,” Vasquez interjected. “We know what each other is thinking,” Wynja finished, driving the point home, “like what type of pitch I want to throw. She knows what I’m going to throw.” “Even when she’s up to bat and I’m on deck, we always think the same,” Vasquez added in. “Like if it’s a bad pitch and they call it a strike, we’re always just like, ‘Huh,’ and we give each other a look.” Vasquez’ talent in and around the plate is undeniable. Her 14 appearances have yielded a .478 batting average, 22 hits, 16 RBIs and 24 runs, including three home runs. The Lions’ talent on the diamond rendered a No. 13 ranking in CHSAA’s Class 3A Selection & Seeding Index, a number that will certainly be tested once they delve further into the unforgiving Patriot League. Their head coach and Ava’s mom, Julie Vasquez, has been through it all with them, from the time that they first picked up a bat. She said that the pair breathes softball and is always studying other teams as well as examining their own statistics. Ava spent the summer watching Oklahoma softball, learning to emulate its players in the batter’s box. Clearly, it’s all been doing the Lions wonders. Julie said she can’t wait to see what they accomplish later this season, as the team eyes another regional host bid as well as a deeper run in the state tournament. Last year, Lyons bowed out in the quarterfinals. “Gretta’s been a pitcher since day one, since I’ve coached them,” Julie explained. “Ava was never interested in pitching, but really wanted to be in the play-by-play, so naturally, the next position after pitching would be catching. They’ve been pitching and catching together since they could pitch and catch. “Watching them grow together since they were little, pitching and catching, watching them stand out there together as pitcher and catcher when the national anthem is going off, I mean, it just gives me goosebumps.”