With state aspirations of their own, the Hillsboro softball team began their 2023 season against the reigning Class 3 state champions from Fatima.
The Hawks sent their all-state pitcher Kaylee Hilton (Class 4, second team) against the Comets’ Taylor Baumhoer (Class 3, first team) in the first round of the Sullivan Tournament on Aug. 26.
Baumhoer – the winning pitcher in last year’s Class 3 final, a wild 16-14 shootout over Chillicothe – tossed a three-hitter in a 6-1 victory, striking out nine. Hilton, a senior, did one better in the K department with 10, but yielded five earned runs on eight hits.
Hilton’s younger sister, sophomore Ashley, also pitches and helped Hillsboro rebound in the second game of the tournament with a one-hit performance in a 5-0 shutout over Capital City, a game shortened to five innings under tournament time rules. She struck out seven without issuing a walk. Kaylee supported her sister with two hits, including a two-run home run.
With the Hiltons mowing down hitters, and with one of the largest senior classes (nine) in recent memory, Hillsboro head coach Tish Naeger said she’s confident her team can defend its Jefferson County Activities Association title and contend in Class 4 District 1. In 2022 the Hawks were 23-10 overall and 7-0 in the JCAA but lost 2-1 to Rockwood Summit in the District 2 semifinals.
All Naeger has to do is look in her own backyard to know how tough the competition is. The Hawks needed three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Windsor for the league crown a year ago.
“I don’t look past any of them,” Naeger said of her JCAA opponents.
“(De Soto) is bringing in some good talent and they’ll be strong. We see Windsor two or three times a season because we see them at tournaments. Festus always has talent.
“The talent in Jefferson County is getting tougher every year, which I like. I’m not counting out the smaller schools, either.”
The older Hilton, the JCAA player of the year in 2022, set a school record with an earned run average of 1.18 while fanning 208 batters in 148 innings. Ashley pitched in 10 games, had 53 Ks and an ERA of 2.10.
One of four Hillsboro players already committed collegiately, Kaylee will play for Jefferson College, joining a steady infusion of local players on the Vikings’ roster. She threw seven-inning no-hitters against Festus and St. Pius X last year.
“I’m very excited to start my senior season and I feel like we have a good team,” Kaylee said. “I’ve been working a lot on my changeup and I’ve started to see the results.”
“We’ve had some good ones, and her sister’s coming right behind her,” Naeger said about Hillsboro’s penchant for producing college pitchers, like University of Missouri senior Emma Nichols, whose sister, senior Lauren Nichols, is back for the Hawks at shortstop. Lauren has committed to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
“Kaylee had a little wrist issue this summer, so we let her recover,” Naeger said. “She’s back, and has been working on her changeup, fastball and riseball. I can’t wait to see what the Hilton girls do and we’re going to turn them loose.”
Kaylee homered for the second straight game and pitched all three innings in an abbreviated 15-0 shutout over Mexico in the Hawks’ final game of the tournament. She also had a double among her three hits. She led the Hawks with 39 runs batted in last year.
One of the reasons Kaylee chose Jeffco was because her batterymate, senior catcher Peyton Uphoff, also has committed to the Vikings. Uphoff was first team all-JCAA last year when she hit .429, including six triples. Kaylee said she’s been playing softball with Uphoff since they were 8 years old. Uphoff had an RBI single and scored against Mexico.
Senior Chloe Hicks (second team all-JCAA) returns to play first base after batting .378 last season with eight doubles and 17 RBIs. Hicks has committed to St. Louis Community College. Junior Lorili Johnson played third base at Sullivan in her first varsity action, collecting two hits (including a double) and scoring twice against Mexico.
Tigers open with a bang
Festus opened its season Aug. 25 with a track meet, walloping Naylor, a Class 1 school near the Arkansas border, 29-0 in three innings to kick off the Rockwood Summit Tournament at Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex.
Columbia Rock Bridge and Lindbergh were much tougher competition for Festus in its other two games of the tournament. The Tigers led the Bruins 1-0 into the third before falling 9-1 in a four-inning game on Aug. 25. The next day, Flyer junior pitcher Gabby McBride, a Class 5 first team all-state pick last year, no-hit Festus in a 16-strikeout masterpiece and Lindbergh won 7-0.
Festus finished the 2022 campaign 10-18 overall and 5-3 in the JCAA, and lost 3-1 to Farmington in the Class 4 District 1 semifinals. The Tigers are again in District 1 along with JCAA brethren
De Soto and Hillsboro, Farmington, North County (Bonne Terre), Sikeston and both schools from Cape Girardeau, Central and Notre Dame.
Festus head coach Jeff Montgomery, starting his 26th season with a career record of 325-251, has a potential star in the making in freshman Ava Oberle. She pitched the shutout over Naylor while also banging out five hits in five trips and scoring five times. She also was one of only two Tigers to get a hit against Rock Bridge, the other coming from fellow frosh Keeleigh Hankins, who drove in her team’s only run. A third freshman, Carly Isbell, had two hits and three RBIs against Naylor. The trio have Montgomery excited about his team’s future.
“I really like our team speed and athleticism,” said Montgomery, who led the Festus baseball team to its first-ever state title (Class 5) back in June. “This is a group that I have circled on my coaching calendar for a few years. We will begin to head in the right direction. The young kids have invested a lot of softball time. We have kids coming in that are freshmen but have a lot of experience. We have some depth in our JV team also that will help us to build the future and gain experience.
“This is a rebuilding year for sure overall and it will be difficult, but we should have some successes.”
The top returnee is junior shortstop Rylie Moore, who flashed her athleticism back in the spring by qualifying for the state track and field championships in all three throwing events, the discus, shot put and javelin. A first team all-JCAA pick on the diamond, she hit .330 last year with 24 RBIs and was the only Tiger to hit a home run (she had two).
“Rylie is just a great player,” Montgomery said. “I told her early this summer that it will be fun to have kids around you in the lineup that will provide some situational hitting experience.”
Seniors Maddie Kissee (pitcher, outfielder), Mady Geiler (outfielder) and Lexi Gauch (first base), junior Olivia Gillam (outfielder) and sophomores Livvie Kearns (first base), Aubree Huskey (outfielder) and Kendahl Johnson (catcher) are the Tigers’ other returning starters. Kissee pitched 88 innings a year ago, won eight games and struck out 39.
“Maddie pitched so well at the end of the season, keeping some good teams off stride and hitting spots, it was a lot of fun,” Montgomery said.
The Tigers haven’t won a district title since winning two in a row in 2016 and 2017.
“We will be much more competitive and hope to test our young club by adding some additional games and tournaments,” Montgomery said. “We will be deeper defensively. We would like to get back to where we were when we won back-to-back district championships. This year’s team should be better in all facets.”
St. Pius X opening day washed out
Games against Rosati-Kain and Notre Dame (St. Louis) were rained out Aug. 26, spoiling the start of the season for St. Pius X. The Lancers were scheduled to open at home against St. Dominic on Monday and then travel to Jackson to play Saxony Lutheran on Tuesday, after the Leader deadline.
Head coach Kevin Halley, embarking on his 16th season, said he’s eager to see how his team responds to losing all-JCAA first teamers Sophie Meyer and Riley Cappozzo to graduation.
“This is such a fun group to be around,” Halley said. “We’ve got a heavy group of juniors who will fill in where those two left. We don’t have a star. We have a lot of really good players.”
They include Rylee Bohnert at second base, Anna Biermann in a utility role, Katelynn Torrence behind the plate and Bridget Flanagan in center field. Mackenzie Quick and Jess Robertson will split innings 50-50 in the circle again. Robertson is the only senior; the rest are juniors.
“Both pitchers give us a chance to win ballgames and both can play different places in the field,” Halley said. “And they’re going to be hitting in the middle of the order. We’re not a power-hitting team. We have gap power. That’s where our strength is.”
St. Pius finished 17-9 overall in 2022, including a 5-3 mark in the rugged JCAA. Their season ended with a 9-6 loss to Notre Dame (St. Louis) in the Class 3 District 1 semifinals. The Lancers have dropped down to Class 2, where they haven’t been since 2020, and are in District 1 with Chaffee, Jefferson, Kelly, Neelyville, Saxony Lutheran and Twin Rivers.
Halley knows the best competition starts in his own conference.
“Hillsboro, Festus and Windsor are probably Nos. 1-3 at the end of the year,” he said. “But we’re going to sneak up on some people.”
Blackcats, Hornets join forces
In a co-op arrangement approved by the Missouri State High School Activities Association, Crystal City and Herculaneum will share players on the same softball team and compete as Herky in the JCAA.
On their own last season, the Blackcats were 0-5 in the conference and 5-10 overall. Christie Brakhage, Herculaneum’s head coach for five years, is assisted by John Winkelman, a part-time teacher at Crystal City and the Leader’s Outdoors columnist.
Freshmen Ryanna Raftery and Blake Parker are the two members of the team from Crystal City.
Returning Herculaneum players include seniors Kimber Ashe (second base), Lane Hamtil (first base), Lexi Howell (center field) and Lauren Nappier (right field).
Junior Kaylyn Yamnitz is a leader for the Blackcats, alternating between the pitcher’s circle, shortstop and center field. Last season she hit .700 in 40 at-bats with four doubles and nine RBIs.
“She is athletically gifted; she can hit for power, slap and bunt for a hit,” Brakhage said. “Defensively, she is quick in the outfield and she gets a great jump on the ball. On the infield she can make diving plays, and pop back up and throw runners out. And she can run through the ball and throw accurately to the target.”
Brakhage said Hamtil is solid at first base and has a great eye at the plate.
“When she gets an opportunity to hit, she hits the ball with power,” Brakhage said.
Cheyenne Wood is a capable catcher who can hit for power and is quick and smart on the base paths. Parker is solid defensively, has a strong arm and can hit with power. Raftery will play primarily shortstop, but she has the range to play outfield and catch. Ashe will play second base and is a power hitter. Nappier is a four-year varsity veteran.
After falling to Saxony Lutheran 4-0 in their season-opener Aug. 26, the Blackcats hosted Valley Park (Tuesday) and Fredericktown (Wednesday) after the Leader deadline. Herculaneum travels to St. Clair today (Aug. 31).
Blue Jays have new coach
There’s a changing of the guard at Jefferson, where Robert Kuehnle has stepped down from the head coaching job and is succeeded by Amanda Mohan (nee Clack), a 2006 graduate of Hillsboro.
Mohan moves south from Notre Dame High in south St. Louis, where she coached for five years.
“I see us hitting for average and power and we will look to outhustle our opponents on the bases,” Mohan said.
Junior shortstop Lia Ott has a strong arm and will be a threat as the leadoff hitter. “She has a high softball IQ and finds a way to get on base,” Mohan said.
Sophomore Annabelle Richardson will play first base when she’s not pitching, and Mohan said she is the most powerful hitter in the lineup. Ott and Richardson combined for seven home runs and 46 RBIs last year.
Jefferson was 9-16 overall and 2-5 in the JCAA a year ago. The Blue Jays remain in Class 2, but were moved from District 4 to District 1, along with St. Pius X.
Dragons deeper than they’ve been in years
In her second year as head coach, Brittany Spraul believes De Soto has power, speed and contact hitting at the plate, to go along with a pitching staff that’s four deep, with three returners.
Spraul, who as Brittany Krodinger teamed with twin sister Courtney Krodinger to lead De Soto to a Class 3 state title in 2014, guided the Dragons to a 5-19 mark in 2022, including a 1-5 ledger in the JCAA.
Seniors Ella DeClue and Alehsyn Zinn are being counted on to have impact seasons. DeClue, who is expected to help mentor the team’s young infielders, played shortstop and first base last year but hasn’t settled into a position yet. She hit .308 last year and tied Zinn (.313) for the team lead in RBIs with 15. Zinn is the leader in the outfield.
“I have loved watching (Zinn) grow these last few years,” Spraul said. “Her hitting has come a long way and it just keeps getting better. They both have made a huge impact on me and this program.”
So has junior Elizabeth Woelich, who has the power to bat cleanup and can be handy in the pitcher’s circle as well. She suffered an injury during basketball season, but Spraul said that helped her mental toughness.
“In a preseason scrimmage earlier this August, I saw her confidence grow (in the circle) and at the plate,” Spraul said. “I know she will make an impact this season on the field or in the lineup.”
Addison Glidewell (left field, shortstop), Kylee Turner (pitcher, second base), Kenzie Missey (center field), Ella Bell (third base, shortstop) and Maci Jordan (second base, third base) comprise a large class of sophomores, whom Spraul said have been working hard.
“This class may be quiet on the field, but the work I have seen them put in toward their craft of softball is unreal,” Spraul said.
Freshmen Cheyenne Kincade and Lillian Travis will see a lot of action this season with Kincade behind the plate and Travis in the circle.
“I can’t wait to see them step up and make an impact on this team and this season,” Spraul said. “I love Kincade’s ability to lead and her voice to speak up for her team. Travis’s demeanor on the mound is awesome to watch and be a part of.”
The Dragons also will feature a fourth hurler in junior Kaly Zoph.
“My coaching staff plans to use them as a staff this season,” Spraul said. “Now if one of my girls is pitching a great game, I will leave her in. I am excited to add Travis to the mix of my pitchers this season.
“I can’t wait to see what all my girls do as a whole.”
De Soto played three games in the Sullivan Tournament on Aug. 26, losing 7-6 to Pacific and 10-1 to Liberty (Wentzville), before beating Owensville 12-3. In the victory, the Dragons scored seven runs in the second inning, all with two outs, and Woelich slugged her first home run of the season.