Michael Cooper: Softball: One pitch changed everything for Southeastern’s Wells twins

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SOUTH CHARLESTON — Early in their softball careers, Kaylee and Reese Wells were both pitchers — until an errant pitch hit their mom, Sara Wells, in the kneecap.

“I was catching Reese at a pitching lesson, and I took a drop ball and somehow it dropped off my kneecap and about shattered it,” said Sara Wells, who starred at both Kenton Ridge and Wittenberg University. “At that point I said, ‘Nope, Kaylee, you’re going to catch.’”

Now seniors at tradition-rich Southeastern High School, the Wells twins — a pitcher-catcher duo — have rewritten the Trojans record book over the last four years in South Charleston.

Kaylee Wells owns the Trojans career records for hits (180) and RBIs (156). She also set the program’s single season record for doubles (19) as a freshman in 2023.

Reese Wells owns career records for home runs (38) and doubles (55). A year ago, she hit a school record 15 home runs.

On the mound, Reese Wells set career records for strikeouts (942), wins (80) and innings pitched (563.2) — all with her sister Kaylee behind the plate. Last season, she set single season records for strikeouts (305) and wins (23).

“They’re very reliable,” said Southeastern High School coach Kaitlyn Blair. “They’re hard working. They’re willing to help the other girls and give them suggestions whenever they can. They’re great leaders. They lead by example and they’re vocal leaders.”

Over the last four years, Southeastern’s senior class has won 85 games, including four straight Ohio Heritage Conference South Division titles.

“I think we’ve progressed each year just because we had such a big class our freshman year, and we’ve just developed each year,” Kaylee said. “I think that we’ve all just kind of gelled together, which has really helped all on the field. Everybody’s really coachable and really willing to learn. So I think that definitely plays a role. Everybody just wants to have fun.”

With their careers winding down, the Shawnee State University bound duo has its sight set on one more piece of history — helping Southeastern advance to the state tournament for the first time in school history. A year ago, they fell to Covington in a D-VII regional final game — one win shy of a trip to Akron’s Firestone Stadium, the home of the OHSAA state championships.

“I think it’s been a pretty fun four years,” Reese said. “I really like all the girls and the coaches. We all get along really well, and it’s really all starting to come together these past two years with how far we made it in tournament, and all the girls are really starting to improve.

“We’re just having a good time out there and I feel like that’s showing on the field.”

Beginnings

Sara (Waugh) Wells grew up playing shortstop, but when Kenton Ridge needed a pitcher, she all of a sudden found herself in the circle.

As a senior in 1993, she led the Springfield area with a 0.12 earned run average. After her high school career, she played collegiately at Wittenberg where she still ranks among the top-10 in wins, strikeouts, ERA, innings pitched and saves.

The game, however, was much different in the early 90s, Sara said.

“We came up playing slow pitch,” she said. “There were some summer tournaments, but it was more like an All-Star team. Now you’ve got lessons — they go to weekly lessons. (Reese) practices more than I did. I just kind of went out and threw. When I got to college I had a coach there to help me develop.

“The batters are so much stronger now. They wear face masks. I definitely think it would be scarier now.”

When it came time for her twin daughters to play softball, they took to the game immediately, she said.

They started playing travel ball at eight years old and played for Blair on both the Springfield Heat and the StrikeZone Fillies.

“They were both pitchers,” Blair said. “You’ve got some girls that are late bloomers, and some girls are just natural right out the gate. … I knew they were going to be good.”

Kaylee, however, eventually decided to put on the catchers’ gear.

“I think I pitched for a little while, and then I got to the point where I was like, ‘Do I want to compete with Reese the rest of my career, or do I want to catch for her?’ And I decided I want to catch her,” Kaylee said.

“I didn’t have an issue with her pitching because, I mean, there were times where she honestly probably pitched better than I did,” Reese said. “It was definitely nice to have her catching for me all these years and helping me practice.”

After 10U, they traveled across the country competing for several strong travel organizations, including Indiana Magic Gold, Louisville Sluggers and Ohio Hawks.

“They kind of always stood out, but again, it’s years and years and years of sacrificing, you know,” Sara said. “We traveled all summer, basically, since they were probably nine. They didn’t get to do things locally with friends and stuff, but then they had those (weekends with) their teammates, and that’s what they wanted to do.

“They just put so much into it, and they’re just so dedicated. I’m just glad it’s paying off.”

The duo eventually joined forces with Blair, their former 10U coach at Southeastern.

“It’s been really cool that they kind of went off and did their own thing, and then (played here) in high school,” Blair said, “and just to see the amount of growth from 10U to their freshman year, and now the amount of growth from their freshman year to their senior year has been awesome.”

Family dynamic

The twins have developed a rapport rarely seen with other pitchers and catchers — a process years in the making, Sara said.

“She calls all my pitches,” Reese said. “It’s really nice. Sometimes a coach doesn’t always necessarily know what’s working and what’s not, and so she can see that stuff better, and it kind of helps through the game and then she doesn’t overuse anything. But then if I shake her off, she doesn’t get mad or anything.”

“That’s the truth,” Kaylee said, “because usually when she shakes me off she throws it in the dirt.”

There are times when they have disagreements, but they don’t last long, Reese said.

“We get mad at each other, but we’re fine because we have to go home together,” she said.

At the plate, the twins have been trying to outdo each other for four years.

“Last year, I really started seeing the ball better and realizing that I had a lot of power, but I had to wait on the ball and actually see a pitch that I like and not just chase anything that’s a strike,” Reese said.

Throughout the years, they’ve passed each other multiple times in the record books, but the milestones haven’t come without struggle.

“I kind of started off really good my freshman year, and kind of, I get in my head a lot, so I guess the key for me is just to get in that groove and get that good hit,” Kaylee Wells said. “I think that for me, it’s just like believing in myself. When I believe in myself, I know others believe in me, then I can hit the ball. I know I always have the talent and my swing’s always there.”

While their parents used to catch them in pitching lessons back in the day, they still attend each session.

“It helps having both parents know, but sometimes, like, I’ll overthink it, and I’ll just look at my dad (Jamie Wells) and be like, What am I doing wrong? What’s going on?’” Reese said. “In reality, I just need to be like, ‘Go out and throw the ball.’ It definitely helped me through the years because they go to every single pitching lesson. They know what’s going on, what to help and how to help me.”

While her mom was a college pitcher, Reese often turns to her dad, Jamie Wells, for advice when things aren’t going well.

“She definitely leans on her dad,” Sara said. “She’ll listen to him; she doesn’t listen to me. She says, ‘Well, Mom, I already throw faster than you did,’ which is true. I tell her, ‘Mom had a pretty good curve and a pretty good changeup.’”

The future

The twins initially committed to Division II West Liberty University in West Virginia, but eventually reopened their recruiting due to financial complications. They eventually landed at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, which is transitioning from NAIA to NCAA D-II.

“We reopened our recruiting process in January, (Shawnee State coach Kristen Bradshaw) reached out to (Reese) because they needed a pitcher. And then I think she actually called our coach at West Liberty to ask about us. She had never seen us play,” Kaylee said. “We went on a visit, and we really liked the coaches, really like the campus, and it just fit right.”

Reese, however, contemplated a move to a smaller school in Tennessee without her sister, but ultimately decided to stay in Ohio.

“I was looking at a junior college in Tennessee to help kind of develop me for the next few years and then try and go somewhere bigger,” Reese said. “That was probably my second choice because that was a really nice school. I love the coach.

“The thought of my parents would probably see three games, it was just hard. I think it’s a better decision that we ended up going to the same school.”

One pitch to the kneecap changed everything years ago.

Since then, the Wells twins have spent their careers rewriting Southeastern’s record book side by side — proof that for them, doing it together has always mattered more.

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