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LAKE ELSINORE — A pitcher and catcher working on the same page is mandatory in high school softball. Standouts at the two positions are a plus.
Having senior pitcher Jasmine Smithson-Willett and junior catcher Austen Urness as your laptop battery? No, not "priceless." But definitely a game-changer, and in Lakeside High's case, a program-changer.
The two cornerstones of the Lancers softball team are entering their final year together, and that means a final chance at high school success — perhaps the last benchmark to elude them in their years on the northwest side of the lake.
Both are accomplished travel-ball players. Both have Division I scholarships in hand. And both are among the best in the Valley at their respective positions.
"I think they challenge each other," Lakeside coach Todd Naylor said. "They challenge each other at practice. When we pitch live, the teams get real quiet and it becomes a battle."
Now, they want respect for their team.
Despite the program's success and talent on the roster, the Lancers have yet to get past the second round of the CIF Southern Section postseason, having lost in that round each of the last three years. That stretch included a heartbreaking 6-4 loss to Hesperia two years ago that abruptly ended an undefeated league season and 23-3 campaign. Last year, the Lancers were bumped out of the second round by West Covina South Hills.
"I kind of like losing last year, because it gave everybody almost a slap in the face," Smithson-Willett said after Monday's practice. "It was like, 'If we don't play like we know we can, we're going to get beat.'"
So here's their chance in 2012. For the Lancers and their dynamic duo, it's been quite a ride to this point.
Smithson-Willett established herself as an ace as soon as she stepped into the Lakeside circle as a freshman, and the program transformed from second-division status to Sunbelt League frontrunner. In travel ball, she helped the Upland-based SoCal Athletics 18-and-under Gold team — a club that also includes Great Oak standouts Danica and Mo Mercado — win back-to-back national championships.
In three seasons of high school softball, she's won 53 games, allowed just 89 earned runs in 443 innings and has struck out a whopping 567 batters.
Willett can attribute much of her progress to her catcher. Naylor has allowed Urness to call Willett's pitches since almost the beginning — "I called the first game, gave her the second and the rest is history," he said — and the development of her change-up to a plus-screwball and strong fastball has made her a force.
"It makes things 10 times easier. It makes pitching easier," Willett said of working with Urness. "(With) her calling the game, it makes me more confident because I know that if she calls a change-up, I know that it's going to be the right pitch because that's how she feels.
"It's kind of like that telepathic feeling."
Telepathy didn't lead Urness to Lakeside, but some could have thought so. She showed up in Naylor's program as a freshman already with a verbal commitment to Nebraska in her back pocket. That raised some eyebrows, especially with former Vista Murrieta star Taylor Edwards in Lincoln, Neb., just two years ahead of her.
But Urness has more than proved her worth, and last year, she began exhibiting Edwards-like numbers, hitting .443 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs.
Behind the plate, there has been a learning curve, too. Urness said she's worked hard this season on throw-downs to second base, as well as manipulating her calls for Smithson-Willett.
"Definitely from my side, it's (about) calling a smarter game," she said. "Last year, we kind of just threw to (Smithson-Willett's) strength, and now we need to start throwing to hitters' weaknesses."
That means knowing the hitters, finding the soft spot in their zone and using her pitcher's four-pitch arsenal to her advantage.
"They're really fun to watch," Naylor said.
The two share a bond, and it's one developed through the high school game. Though they attended middle school together, they barely knew one another prior to Lakeside.
"Out on the field, we have handshakes and we definitely have the same lifestyle," Urness said. "We're both committed, we're both going to college, and we're on a track, basically, so we definitely share knowledge with each other."
They compete, too, in practices in live pitching, and as quality hitters manning the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in the Lakeside lineups. Together, with senior Megan Bartee (.455, 16 RBIs last year), they form the heart of a formidable batting order.
That production will be needed as they enter an improved Sunbelt League. Lakeside shared the league crown with Heritage last year, and the Lancers suffered league losses to both the Patriots and Paloma Valley. All three expect to challenge for the league crown.
And then, when those darned playoffs come around, the Lancers expect to be ready.
"We as a team have worked so much harder this year and so much longer," Urness said. "We started in August, and we have been working since August and have been working hard on the field. We've been working hard on the little things that we need to do to improve and get past the second round of CIF."

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