SNOHOMISH — If you’ve followed the Snohomish softball team the past six years and thought the Panthers have had the same center fielder the entire time, you’re not alone.
Perhaps it seems that way because the player making the spectacular catches at that position is a petite girl with long hair, blazing speed and wears No. 5.
The Panthers haven’t found a way to cheat the system, but it sure seems that way.
Trysten Melhart roamed center field for four years before graduating in 2014. She broke the school’s batting average record as a freshman by hitting .543 and subsequently broke her own record every year for the next three seasons. She hit an astounding .658 as a senior. Melhart graduated and moved on to the University of Washington where she starts for the Huskies’ softball team.
The opening in center field was filled by freshman Sami Reynolds, who not only wears the same number as Melhart but also bears a striking resemblance to her and plays a similar way. Snohomish head coach Lou Kennedy said the arrival of Reynolds drew questions from opposing coaches.
“A couple of coaches mentioned it,” he said. “A couple have gone, ‘Hey, we just got rid of Trysten, what’s this?’ I said, ‘That’s T2 — The Adventure Continues.’”
Reynolds quickly proved that there is more than just a physical resemblance between her the former Snohomish star. She didn’t break any records, but she did bat .456 in her freshman season and like Melhart before her, ran down balls in center field that seemed uncatchable.
“We lost Trysten, but then we gained Sami,” Snohomish junior outfielder Ame Bridgeman said. “They’re so much the same in the way they play and the way they carry themselves on and off the field that it’s like they’re the same (person).”
It didn’t take long before Reynolds was hearing the comparisons herself, which brought a lot of pressure.
“She’s a huge, not mentor, but somebody I look up to so much,” Reynolds said. “She’s everything that I am, but she’s like the times 10 version. She’s that good. She plays at a caliber that I would like to see myself playing in college and I’m working toward that. She really is a role model for me.”
Melhart said she’s happy she can be an inspiration for young athletes the way others were for her.
“It makes me feel honored,” she said. “I’m excited that somebody wants to play like me and be like me. That’s kind of what I always wanted to do when I grew up and played college softball, I wanted to be an inspiration for younger girls, so it’s cool that it’s actually happening.”
When it came time for the Panther players to pick their jerseys in 2015, there were only three jerseys in Reynolds’ size and one of them was the No. 5 jersey Melhart used to wear. Rather than shy away from the inevitable comparisons if she picked the same number, Reynolds embraced the challenge.
“There were only three extra small jerseys and I looked at No. 5 and I was like, ‘That’s the one I want to fill. I want to fill those shoes,’” Reynolds said. “‘I want to make the legacy live on and I want to try to go up to her standards and the player that she is.’ It’s going to take a lot of work for me and I’m working towards it.”
At times, living up to Melhart’s accomplishments has been overwhelming, but Reynolds is getting more comfortable with the comparisons.
“I kind of embrace it,” Reynolds said. “I just tell myself that Trysten was an amazing player and I have a lot of shoes to fill. Size-wise we’re the same, but I seriously have shoes to fill. It feels OK that we’re compared. I’m totally fine with it. She’s such a good player. It’s a compliment because she’s so good, but I have a lot of work to do to get to where she is.”
Melhart said the best things Reynolds can do to continue to get better is to forget about the comparisons.
“I would just say don’t try to live up to anybody else, just try to reach the full potential of what you think you can be,” she said. “I think that will make her a better player and help her not worry. I feel like that is a little thing to be worrying about, trying to be like someone else. Just embrace what you have and use your skills to be better and if you end up being better than me, good for you. And if not, it’s OK.”
And if Reynolds needs any more advice or guidance, Melhart said she would be happy to provide it.
“I’m definitely always here to talk to for advice or anything,” Melhart said. “I’ve talked to her a few times just like at a camp about how school life is and softball and stuff, so I’m definitely always here for that aspect.”
In December, Reynolds made an addition to the list of similarities between the two players when she verbally committed to play for the University of Washington after graduating from Snohomish in 2018. She will have a chance to take over for Melhart in center field at UW the way she did at Snohomish.
Reynolds said selecting UW wasn’t strictly because of Melhart, but it didn’t hurt.
“It was early, but it felt right,” Reynolds said. “I was looking at Louisville and some other farther away schools, but seriously when UW offered me it felt comfortable. I felt like UW is a family. … Everything about UW is what I was looking for.
“It’s just the puzzle pieces fit and it was the right place for me.”
Reynolds hit .452 this season, helping the Panthers win the league title for a fourth consecutive season. They have the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye going into the district tournament, which starts Tuesday at Sky River Park in Monroe.
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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