Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: St. Edmond's Mariah Myers connects earlier this season at Rogers Park.

Mariah Myers didn’t homer last Friday in St. Edmond’s game against Clarion-Goldfield/Dows at Rogers Park.

This isn’t news for almost every other softball player in the state of Iowa. Hitting is hard. Going deep is harder.

When Myers doesn’t do something spectacular these days, though, it almost feels like a surprise.

The University of Iowa recruit started the season strong and really hasn’t looked back since, but the last two weeks have been an onslaught of prodigious power. Myers, just a junior, cleared the fence on June 17 against Webster City, then socked a school-record three more at Iowa Falls-Alden two nights later. She homered versus Saydel the next day, at Hampton-Dumont/CAL on June 24, at North Union on June 27, and at Clear Lake on Monday.

That’s eight homers in the Gaels’ last nine games, and 13 for the season — another school record. St. Edmond has only played 26 times to date, and Myers missed three contests with a hamstring injury.

We jokingly — sort of — came to a consensus in the office before the start of the year that Myers would have a batting average of close to .700 as a Gael. Well, she’s currently hitting .635. Her on-base percentage (.723), slugging percentage (1.476) and OPS (on base plus slugging, 2.199) look like slow-pitch softball numbers.

Myers ranks in the Top-5 among all hitters in Iowa for batting average and home runs, and she’s first overall in slugging, OBP and OPS. She has 26 extra-base hits in 63 at-bats. She hasn’t struck out once, so far matching her same accomplishment as an eighth-grade all-stater for Fort Dodge.

In 313 career high school at-bats, Myers has 29 home runs, 127 RBI, 89 runs scored, a .491 batting average, and has struck out just five times. More importantly, her teams have won 93 of 109 games with her on the field.

I assumed Myers — a Top-40 national recruit in the Class of 2025, according to Perfect Game — would have no choice but to walk her way through this season, figuring opponents would quickly realize pitching to her is a big mistake. She’s only drawn 19 base on balls, though, and rival coaches really don’t seem to know what to do with her at this point.

If they put Myers on base, not only will she find ways to score — Myers, an elite overall athlete, has 17 stolen bases and is averaging nearly two runs per night — but she is also protected by junior Lauren Gibb (batting nearly .400) and senior Kaili Henning (.415 with 30 RBI) in the lineup’s third and fourth spots, respectively. Junior Faith Shirbroun, junior Ansley Oswald and eighth-grader Toryn Helle are all hitting .390 or better as well. Shirbroun, who is ahead of Myers at the top of the order, has seven homers, 25 runs driven in and 41 runs scored herself.

St. Edmond’s 9-4 win on Monday was a perfect example of the strategy struggle opposing coaches face. Clear Lake intentionally walked Myers the first three times through, and for the most part it worked, as the Gaels led only 6-4 in the sixth. But in the seventh, with runners at first and third and two outs, the Lions gambled and pitched to Myers. She drilled a three-run homer to right to erase any remaining doubt.

Myers has proven to be an elite mind at the plate. She’ll go with the pitch, rarely overswings and generates collegiate-level power with her wrist and hip tork.

St. Edmond is ranked fourth in Class 1A. The Gaels, who qualified for state last year and returned eight starters this summer, clinched their second consecutive outright NCC crown and a piece of their third in a row overall. There are no guarantees when the regional tournament begins next Wednesday, but this is a team no one in Class 1A will want to face in July. Trying to solve the Mariah Myers riddle continues to be a big reason why.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt