It’s spring in 2018, and Taylor Werner is playing third base for Neuqua Valley.
Near the stands, her 11-year-old sister, Trista, is half-watching and half-practicing. Trista Werner is pitching to her father, taking swings in front of net and, of course, following her beloved older sister’s softball career.
“I was doing anything I could do that would prepare me for my next game or practice,” Trista Werner recalled recently.
Taylor Werner, a student at Missouri, remembers.
“My teammates always loved when Trista came,” she said. “They’d be like, ‘Oh, Trista’s here doing her pitching! And my coaches would be like, ‘Trista, want to get in the game?'”
Five years later, Trista Werner gets in the game all the time. A standout junior shortstop who also pitches for Neuqua Valley (9-8), she was hitting .378 and had logged the second-most innings in the circle through Tuesday.
“As a pitcher, she has some of the most dramatic spin I’ve seen,” Neuqua Valley coach Danielle Asquini said. “And when she’s not pitching, she’s got a great glove, quick release and great range as our shortstop.”
Indeed, Trista Werner has developed into one of the area’s top players — and she’s planning to continue in college.
“I’ve been playing for so long that I don’t know if I can imagine my life without it now,” she said.
“Fall in love” is a platitude, but even a brief conversation with Trista Werner will convince that her love for softball is deep.
“I fell in love with the game at a very young age,” she said. “I started taking pitching lessons when I was 6 years old, and I’ve loved the game ever since.”
Brimming with that devotion — and a heap of nerves — Trista Werner tried out for Neuqua Valley as a freshman.
“I wanted to make a great impression,” she said. “The coaches brought me up to practice with some of the varsity players who had been there.”
At the end of tryouts, Trista Werner navigated to the school’s athletics website on her computer. That’s where the number of each player was to be listed under the team they’d made: freshman, junior varsity or varsity.
Trista Werner scrolled down and saw her number under “varsity.” She was the only freshman on the list.
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“It’s not something I was quite expecting,” she said. “It was a big step for me, playing with all juniors and seniors. It felt crazy.”
Taylor Werner, who had graduated already, was glad to hear it.
“I was so happy and proud for her when she made varsity as a freshman,” Taylor Werner said. “She was kind of stressed about it. It’s nerve-wracking to join a new team.”
After a few weeks, Trista Werner warmed to the challenge. In April 2021, she debuted as a pitcher in both games of a doubleheader against St. Charles East.
“We had some seniors out that day for a test, so I had to take more responsibility,” she said. “Taking that leadership role was a big step for me.”
Across both games, Trista Werner didn’t allow a run.
“It’s very easy to crash under pressure,” Asquini said. “But Trista doesn’t do that. She powers through things with grace.”
Trista Werner continues to lean on her older sister as she evolves into a high-level player.
“I love talking with my sister,” Trista Werner said. “I always call her and tell her what’s going on, with softball and everything.
“We’re basically each other’s best friend. I can’t imagine where I’d be without her. She’s one of my biggest role models.”
Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.