Ever since the softball season began, opponents of the Bethel Lady Bees had to be very worried. They figured, if the Lady Bees scored three runs in the game, their chances to win were slight. In fact there was a point early in the season for Bethel, that one run would have been enough.

The reason? Junior Kelly Artrip has continued to master her pitching for the Lady Bees, and has developed into one of the top hurlers in the Miami Valley.

“Kelly is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached,” Bethel coach Dennis Lawson said. “She has never refused to do what I asked of her.”

Artip opened the first quarter of the season with numerous shutouts, to a point where she even surprised herself with the accomplishment.

“I did better that I thought I would, and it surely wasn’t what I expected,” she said while relaxing at home, shortly after returning from another win, 9-3 over Dixie.

“I have worked really hard, and having a catcher like Emily (Ellerbrock) is great. We work really well together.”

But to get to this point, it takes a lot of time and work, as Artrip would attest to. She began her journey before she even got to middle school, by being placed on a baseball team.

“I was the only girl on the team,” she said, as she reflected back. When her parents signed her up for baseball, they asked where all the other girls were. They were playing softball.

“When she was two or three years old, I remember throwing her the ball, and she would catch it and throw it right back,” her father Byron said. “What impressed me was her hand-eye coordination at that age.” After teaching Kelly a few of the basics over the years, she eventually headed toward her teen years wanting to be a pitcher.

She joined the Tipp City Rec League, and according to her, there were only two or three girls on the team who pitched. So, with the help of Ken Cornett (who currently has a daughter Brook who is a senior on the Lady Bees), Artrip began her pitching career, and did the majority of the pitching for the remainder of the season.

While the ace did play sports such as soccer, basketball and a little volleyball growing up, when she got to 12 years old, the Artrip’s could see something special in Kelly.

At age 12, the Lady Bees ace began taking lessons from travel-ball coach Scott Herman, and it didn’t take Artrip long to master the art. Her parents stated she caught on quick.

From that point, softball became a way of life for the Bethel junior, not just a sport. Artrip played summer ball from May through August, travelling to various places to face the tough competition. From there, it was off to a fall league, serious workouts in the winter (including two days a week pitching), and then high school season would arrive. It has become a year-around venture for the Artrips.

After entering Bethel as a freshman, she was immediately pegged as a starting pitcher for the varsity squad. Her initial season provided several career highlights, including her first-ever varsity start against Anna, first career homerun at Ansonia, and a huge win against backyard rival Wayne. Artrip pitched a complete game as the Lady Bees won 5-2.

Other highlights in her career include a trip to Disney with her 12U summer team, as they finished 13 in the World Series, along with a tough battle this year against Twin Valley South. Despite losing 1-0 in extra inning, Artrip struck out 14 batters.

From the time she stepped on the mound as a freshman, to the wrap up to her junior season, she feels she has gotten better.

“I am more confident now, and have thrown more strikeouts,” she said. “Practice and more experience are each a huge key, and I have just learned what works.”

Still down the road for Artrip could be a shot at playing at the next level. She wants to study Medical Radiology and Sonography, and one school that offers that for their athletes is Rio Grande, where Artrip has visited.

But for now, Artrip and the Lady Bees want a solid tournament run in the state tournament.