MUSKEGON TWP. - Lainey McDaniel will go down as one of the best pitchers in Reeths-Puffer softball history, and Tessa Ross is undoubtedly one of the top catchers, as well.
There was a very brief period, however - way back when they first became teammates in little girl youth travel ball - when their roles were reversed.
McDaniel remembers getting a tryout as a catcher, with Ross pitching.
“I was catching for Tessa, but I got kicked out of that because I caught the ball with my bare hand,” she said.
That created the need for a new catcher, which Ross stepped up and filled, while McDaniel evolved toward the pitcher’s circle.
R-P's Lainey McDaniel, left, and Tessa Ross.
“I was forced out of pitching because we didn’t have any catchers,” Ross said. “I really enjoyed catching. I liked being in charge of everything.”
That was when McDaniel and Ross started their long friendship and successful pitcher-catcher partnership, excelling for the same travel team for about eight years, and for the Rockets for the past three.
They have come to know each others’ tendencies extremely well, and combine to mow down batter after batter without a lot of verbal communication.
As R-P head coach Sarah Bayle puts it, “Tessa calls the pitches, and the two of them work really well together. Lainey and Tessa both know how to read the hitters. They are just so in sync. They have great chemistry, which makes everything a little easier. They hold each other accountable, and have each other’s backs.”
McDaniel has learned that having a great defensive catcher is critical to her success as a pitcher.
McDaniel gets set to throw a pitch.
She was not quite as good in the pitcher’s circle in her freshman year, which is really not surprising, because great athletes never peak in their first season.
But McDaniel notes that Ross was an eighth-grader that year, still one season away from varsity, and she believes the absence of her longtime travel team catcher was a drawback.
“It was definitely an adjustment,” she said about throwing to someone else as a freshman. “You could definitely tell the difference the next year, when Tessa was finally on the team.
“I don’t like throwing to anyone as much as I like throwing to her. I find that I throw my best when she is catching. No matter where the pitch is, she is going to block it and frame it. She is the hardest worker I know, and her work is one of the reasons for my success.”
Ross, in turn, loves catching for a pitcher like McDaniel, who has great control and a nice variety of pitches that keep hitters off-balance and guessing.
Ross comes out of her crouch to snag a pitch.
“I think one of her strongest suits is her spin (that she puts on the ball)," Ross said. “That’s why she’s so hard to hit. I remember when she just had a fastball and changeup, and now her riseball is one of her stronger pitches, too.
“It’s been fun as a catcher to watch that growth over the years.”
One good way to measure the McDaniel-Ross partnership is to look at McDaniel’s impressive strikeout numbers.
She has posted more than 700 in her career, including 149 so far this season, and Ross has been the catcher for the majority of those.
While pitchers tend to get all the credit, keeping opponents from putting the ball in play is really a testament to the joint success of the pitcher and catcher.
“I love that!” Ross said about watching so many disappointed batters turn and walk back to the dugout in frustration.
They both keep getting better
McDaniel and Ross have both been great for several seasons.
McDaniel earned All-Conference honors in 2024 and 2025. She was also All-District in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and All-Region in 2024 and 2025.
Ross was All-Conference and All-District last year.
They both have managed to turn it up another notch this spring, helping the Rockets post a strong 24-7 record as the regular season winds to a close. Both of them have already been named All-Conference again this year, with more honors almost certainly on the way.
“You can tell how much it means to them, and how badly they want to be good for themselves and their teammates,” Bayle said.
McDaniel winds up in a game against Mona Shores.
McDaniel has been amazing in the circle again, after finishing last season while battling a long, miserable case of mononucleosis. She has pitched117 2/3 innings so far with 149 strikeouts and a strong 2.38 earned run average.
“She has thrown her changeup more this year, very effectively,” Bayle said. “She relies on her screwball a lot. It comes in on batters and is pretty hard to hit. She has a good riseball, too.”
McDaniel’s demeanor and mental strength are as valuable as her arm, according to Coach Bayle.
“It’s her ‘so what’ mentality,” Bayle said. “If an umpire does not give her a call, she is not going to show she’s mad about it. She always keeps the same demeanor, and it’s the same whether she is successful or struggling. Her calm, cool and collected presence is a real strength.”
McDaniel is also the Rockets’ top hitter, with a red-hot .579 batting average, a .605 on base percentage, a total of 62 hits (38 singles, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 4 home runs) and 33 RBIs.
Ross takes a big cut at a pitch.
She has only struck out four times, and has 12 stolen bases.
McDaniel was hitting over .600 earlier in the season, but she has been snake-bitten lately with a lot of her big blasts going straight to fielders.
While many pitchers don’t have the time to focus on their offensive skills, McDaniel makes sure she finds the time.
“Pitching takes a lot of outside time, but I really enjoy hitting, too, so I try to work on that just as much as pitching,” she said.
Ross had continued to make herself an even better catcher every year, and it shows in the limited defensive stats. She has only allowed six passed balls all season, and has only committed one error.
Ross has always been a good hitter, as well, but has had a real breakout season at the plate this spring.
Ross drops down a bunt.
After hitting .448 as a freshman and .432 last year, she currently has a .500 batting average with a .543 on base percentage. She has 46 hits – 37 singles and nine doubles – and has knocked in 29 runs. She has only struck out twice.
Bayle said the difference has been Ross’ patience at the plate.
“She sees the ball so well, and she’s been a little more patient,” the coach said. “She has not been giving the pitchers anything. She has worked into deep counts and gotten singles and doubles many times.”
Ross, on the other hand, said she’s been more aggressive at the plate this year.
“I found myself looking for walks more last year,” she said. “I mean, if they are calling the outside pitches, you have to hit those eventually.”
McDaniel probably put her finger on it when she said that Ross “has more of an attack approach this year, but is smarter about it.”
The end of a long, successful run
McDaniel and Ross have helped the Rockets excel and earn their share of trophies for the past two years.
In 2024, R-P won the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association tournament, a share of the O-K Green conference championship, and a Division 1 district title.
Last year the Rockets repeated as GMAA tournament champs, but failed to repeat at the conference or district level.
This year they failed to win GMAA or conference titles, leaving Saturday’s Division 1 district tournament at West Ottawa High School as the Rockets’ final chance to start cashing in.
They will play Mona Shores at 10 a.m., and if they win will advance to the championship game at noon, probably against Grand Haven.
McDaniel winds up to pitch.
The Rockets lost to Grand Haven 5-0 in districts last year, and the girls are eager to reverse their postseason fortunes.
“It was a big letdown,” McDaniel said about last year’s loss. “I hope we can come out with the hunger this year that Grand Haven had last year.”
“We have pretty high expectations for ourselves,” Ross said. “If we play to our best ability we can win.”
A win in both games on Saturday would send R-P on to regionals a week later. One loss would end the season.
Whenever the end does come, it will mean the end of the long McDaniel-Ross combination on the field, and a bit of a separation for their long friendship.
McDaniel (22) and Ross (12) during a game.
McDaniel will be heading to study and play softball at Ferris State University while Ross will return to R-P for her senior year.
While both girls say they will be sad, they also have good attitudes about the inevitability of change.
“It’s going to be hard, but then I will be going to Ferris, which will challenge me to get out of my comfort zone, so some good will come out of it,” McDaniel said.
Ross sees it the same way, but added that McDaniel’s loss will be a blow to the Rockets in several different ways.
“Not having her will be a big adjustment for the team,” she said. “Lainey is such a great leader, on and off the field. As seniors we are going to have to work hard to replace that.”