By Andy Walter

CAMDEN — Peyton Shields has always been a softball pitcher.

So she likes the idea that every single play starts with her.

“I just love having that control over the game,” said the Caesar Rodney High sophomore.

Riders’ coach Skye Boris is happy to put the ball in Shields’ hands, too, the way this season has started out.

With Shields in her first season as a varsity starter, CR is off to a 4-0 start heading into today’s 4:15 p.m. Henlopen North contest at Polytech.

Considering the Riders went just 7-11 in 2019, four victories right now sounds pretty good to them.

Despite missing all last season because of the pandemic, CR still returned six players with varsity experience. Being able to add in a pitcher like Shields, who is a veteran travel-ball player, has turned out to be a successful formula.

“We haven’t had the best seasons in the past,” said Boris. “So coming out 4-0 is definitely nice. They’ve all been really good games.

“I keep telling the girls after every game that we win, we’re a team full of fighters. No matter what, they keep fighting and scratching and clawing to find a way.”

“I like that we’re a family,” said senior outfielder Angel Lundin. “It’s not just a team of individuals. We all work together to get the job done. There’s definitely a confidence and it can be shown on the field.”

The Riders have only three seniors on the roster — Lundin, Riley Elledge and Rachel McCleary — compared to five sophomores and a pair of freshmen. The Riders also have seven juniors, including Lyric Abdul-Rasheed and Stacey Deputy, who have both homered this season.

But CR’s players already know they could have confidence in Shields, who had already made a name for herself in Little League and travel-ball circles.

Shields, who shares pitching duties with junior Kayla Harvey, struck out 26 batters in her first 14 innings of the season.

“I’ve watched her grow up over the years,” said Boris. “She’s growing into this phenomenal pitcher. I think one of the things I like about Peyton the most is her demeanor on the mound. She’s the same person whether we’re up, whether we’re down.

“She doesn’t show any emotion. ... She definitely carries herself well on the mound. The team really rallies around her. They know, when she’s on the mound, she’s going to go to work for them and they do the same thing for her.”

“Watching Peyton is a lot of fun,” said Lundin. “She knows what she’s doing. She has the drive to complete what needs to be done. She goes to pitching lessons, learns new things and works every day.”

Just because she’s thrown a lot of pitches in her life doesn’t mean that Shields doesn’t get nervous, however. As a sophomore, she’s facing players that are sometimes two years older than her.

“I know a bunch of people from other schools, so it’s really nerve-wracking,” said Shields. “There’s going to be a missed pitch here or there where something bad is going to happen.”

While it’s still early, the Riders are hoping their season can end in the DIAA state tournament. CR hasn’t made the tourney since 2016, which is also the last time it had a winning record.

The players, though, also know they’ve got a long way to go.

“Going into the season, when we were finally able to start workouts, that was one of the goals the girls kept talking about — getting into the tournament,” said Boris. “And not just getting into the tournament, but competing. ... We’re just trying to keep this train rolling, chugging along.”

“We don’t want to jinx ourselves or anything like that,” said Lundin. “(But) it’s a lot more fun when you win.”