Vilseck looking for bounce-back season on diamond

Wiesbaden shortstop Joslyn Weintraub catches a fly ball as second baseman Kaitlynn Cisneros watches in the background during an April 10, 2026, game against Vilseck on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

WIESBADEN, Germany – The Vilseck softball program took its lumps the last couple of seasons with a two-win 2024 regular season and a quarterfinal exit at the 2025 European championships.

Those struggles seem far behind the Falcons, if the start to the 2026 campaign is any indication.

On Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Friday afternoon, Vilseck improved to 6-0 with a doubleheader sweep of the host Warriors 12-2 and 15-0.

Coach Madisyn Ott credited those past struggles for motivating the players this spring.

“They have the foundation to build on from past seasons,” she said. “Now, they’re getting to the point of the fruits of their labor.”

First baseman ZyMyria Bailey described the camaraderie as a major factor for this season’s early turnaround.

“Last year, we struggled with communicating,” she said. “We keep the energy high, we uplift each other, say encouraging words and keep each other in the right mindset.”

Vilseck's Hannah Wayland swings at a pitch during an April 10, 2026, game against Wiesbaden on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Vilseck's Lilly Estrada scores during an April 10, 2026, game against Wiesbaden on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Vilseck first baseman ZaMyria Bailey fields a ground ball as second baseman Chloe Fowler runs to cover the bag during an April 10, 2026, game against Wiesbaden on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden second baseman Kaitlynn Cisneros flips the ball to first base during an April 10, 2026, game against Vilseck on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden center fielder Nyla Webb chases down a fly ball during an April 10, 2026, game against Vilseck on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Vilseck's Taila Neal pitches during an April 10, 2026, game against Wiesbaden on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Wiesbaden senior Kai Malaga pitches during an April 10, 2026, game against Vilseck on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)

Ott can’t complain about her team’s mindset at the plate. Vilseck collected eight extra-base hits over the two contests.

Bailey led Friday’s power surge. She went for 3 for 4 with a double, triple and two-run home run, driving in five runs in the process.

She was part of a potent one-two punch at the top of the Vilseck lineup with shortstop Aniya Slocum. The duo twice produced back-to-back extra-base hits that sparked big innings.

In the opening game, the Falcons had a 6-1 advantage heading into the top of the fourth. Slocum squeaked a 1-1 pitch down the third-base line to score Hannah Wayland. On the next pitch, Bailey hit the ball to the left-center field wall for a triple to score Slocum.

The lead-off and No. 2 batters repeated the feat in their first at-bats in the second matchup. Slocum’s fly ball to left-center field led to a double, and Bailey parked the ball over the fence in nearly the same part of the outfield.

They weren’t the only Falcons bringing out the big sticks. Wayland, the No. 9 batter, recorded three hits, including a double into center field as part of a seven-run first in the late game.

Clean-up hitter Chole Seymour’s double in the fourth inning of the first contest capped off a four-run outburst by driving in Keilani Notkin with a ball into center field.

Ott praised her players’ aggressiveness at the plate.

“I have to say a lot of it is not coming from me – it’s all them,” Ott said. “A lot of girls are willing to attack the ball and also to call each other out and have others have that mindset as well.”

While the second game got away from the Warriors, coach Cody Clinton said his inexperienced squad can take plenty of positives heading into Saturday’s doubleheader against Stuttgart.

In the first game, the Warriors (1-4, 0-4) responded to each of Vilseck’s big innings with runs of their own. In the bottom of the opening frame, lead-off batter Kai Malaga crossed home plate on a Joslyn Weintraub grounder, and then Malaga’s single in the bottom of the fourth brought Nyla Webb home.

Still, Clinton said the Warriors must clean up their errors, like the eight committed Friday.

“The biggest thing we ask of our players is to do their best every play,” he said. “If a play goes wrong or the game’s not going (well), it gives them an opportunity to focus forward on what they can do.”

The Falcons also are focusing on the future. Their expectations are rising as they chase their first European crown since 2022.

“I think we can make it all the way to championships,” Bailey said. “I know that we didn’t quite make it there last year, but I believe we can do it this year with the team that we have.”