By Rich Winter

605 Sports

ALEXANDRIA — Hanson junior Olivia Kayser has been mowing opposing batters down this season.

Kayser was 6-3 on the year (prior to Monday’s game against Ethan/Parkston), having pitched 42 innings while striking out 78 batters. Of those 78 strikeouts, 21 of them have been caught looking at the left-handers arsenal of pitches. 

“Since I’ve been working with a pitching coach I think I throw harder than last year with better spins,” Olivia Kayser said. “I throw a lot of chase pitches and try to get batters to swing early in the pitch count.” 

Kayser is among the top pitchers in the Class B ranks. The left-hander has an intimidating presence on the mound and a secret weapon behind the plate. 

Her next door neighbor, freshman Jozlynn Tegethoff, is Kayser's catcher and best friend. 

“We started working together last year because I knew we were going to need her,” Kayser said. “I have that leadership role on the team and Jozlynn knows when to call me off and what pitches I like.”

Leading Hanson at the plate is senior Reese Merek who has a batting average of .609 with six stolen bases. Merek has committed to play softball for Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. 

“Reese is definitely a contact hitter and she gets on base every game,” Kayser said. 

A year ago Hanson finished fifth in the first-ever Class B state softball tournament. A close 4-2 loss to eventual runner-up Alcester-Hudson in the first round of that state tournament has been driving the Beavers to exceed last year’s state tournament experience. 

“We barely lost to the No. 1 seed and that motivates us because we know we can do better,” Kayser said. “We just beat Castlewood, the defending Class B champion and we know we can play with and beat anyone.” 

The Beavers handed Castlewood, 9-6 on Feb. 12. A day later Castlewood turned the tables for an 8-2 win over Hanson. Kayser said the road win against Castlewood was a shot of momentum for the team.

“It was a long ride there and I think we were a little nervous,” she said. “We had a good time, played loose and had momentum throughout the entire game. 

Kayser is also adept at the plate batting .400 this season, after finishing the 2023 season with a .577 average. While she likes batting she loves pitching. 

Hanson's Olivia Kayser drives the ball during the Avon tournament earlier this season - Trey Kaul - 605 Sports

“I like that I can control the speed of the game,” she said. “If I want to go faster I can go faster. If I want to go slower I can slow the game down. 

While softball is still in its infancy in South Dakota the expansion of the game is not lost on the Hanson junior. 

“When softball became a sanctioned sport it raised my hopes because the game is growing,” she said. “Softball is now so much more accessible for girls that don’t play travel ball.”