With the graduation loss of nine seniors, including standout pitcher Kaylee Hilton, Hillsboro head coach Tish Naeger would seem to have every excuse to fall back on 2024 as a “rebuilding year.”
No way – too much pride for that.
The Hawks have won five straight Jefferson County Activities Association championships, boasting a 35-game league winning streak, and have a .729 winning percentage since 2020. Hilton, the conference co-MVP last year, has taken her talents to Jefferson College, but her sister Ashley, a junior lefthander, is ready to take her place after posting a 10-0 record and miniscule earned run average (0.27, lower than Kaylee’s) in 52 innings pitched.
“We went 25-5 (last season) and Ashley was a big part of that,” Naeger said. “I look for her to step up and be that leader we need. Everybody’s doing that this year. That’s good to see.
“We lost some big names people will probably remember for a long time. But we do have five seniors and they look good.”
One of them is fourth-year varsity veteran Olivia Peters, who takes over at catcher. She replaces all-JCAA receiver Peyton Uphoff, also now at Jefferson College. Uphoff was a plus defender and team leader with 31 runs batted in. In 21 plate appearances last year, Peters batted .500.
The other seniors are Lorelei Johnson (third base), Sophie Errante (right field), Ashley Dutton (center field) and Jenna Mann (first base), who’s up from the junior varsity.
When she’s not pitching, Ashley Hilton will patrol center field.
“I don’t like rotating the center fielders, but with Ashley, you’ve got to have her leadership on the field, and she gives me the stink-eye when I ask if she wants to (be designated hitter),” Naeger said.
Hilton leads a class of juniors that includes Maizy Sabourin, who earned all-conference honors at second base after batting .327 with four doubles and 13 RBIs, Lilly Moore (second base), Molly Johnston (first base, catcher) and outfielders Ava Culley and Ava Zimmer, both up from the JV.
Naeger also welcomes a boost from Windsor sophomore transfer Hailey Boyette, the Owls’ No. 2 pitcher last season, going 3-2 in 37 innings. She’ll help back up Hilton in the circle and play right field.
“She’s been a nice addition,” Naeger said. “She’s vying for that No. 2 (pitcher) spot.”
There’s a huge hole at shortstop with the graduation of all-JCAA honoree Lauren Nichols, now at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. This will be only the second season since 2014 the Hawks won’t have a Nichols leading them; Lauren’s older sister and past league MVP Emma, a 2019 graduate, has pitched for three years at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
It’s rare for a freshman to start at shortstop but that’s Naeger’s plan with Uphoff’s younger sister, Ally.
“Peyton likes to say (Ally’s) even better than her,” Naeger said. “No disrespect to Lauren, she was great, but we haven’t missed a beat at shortstop.”
Two other freshmen, first baseman-pitcher Maddy McCrackin and left fielder-first baseman Hannah DeBois, also have won spots on the varsity.
Naeger said she had to make the very hard decision to cut players from the program because the JV team can readily supply replacements to the varsity if needed. She had two weeks to assemble the varsity roster before taking the Hawks to Bonne Terre Aug. 24 for a jamboree with North County, Fox and De Soto.
“We have a lot of diversity this year,” Naeger said. “That makes us more dynamic than we’ve been in the past. We have girls who are interchangeable. Since I’ve been part of the coaching staff, we’ve never had three varsity pitchers. We’ve always carried two, but I think we can utilize all three.”
The Hawks’ season kicks off Sept. 3-5 in the Parkway Tournament at Eureka Park. Hillsboro will put its conference win streak on the line early when the Hawks host Festus Sept. 10. The Tigers were the last team other than Hillsboro to win the JCAA. The Hawks shut out Festus 10-0 last year with the Hilton sisters standing out; Kaylee struck out 11 in a three-hit shutout and Ashley had a double, stole a base, drove in two runs and scored two herself.
Naeger said she’s looking forward to a trip to Camdenton for a tournament with some of the state’s top teams.
“That will be a team-bonding weekend midway through the season and that will get us ready for districts.”
Despite all of their recent success, the Hawks haven’t won a district title since 2019. Hillsboro lost to Farmington in the Class 4 District 1 finals in 2020 and 2021. The Hawks’ 2023 season ended in a 3-1 defeat by Cape Girardeau Notre Dame in the district semifinals.
“We went into districts (last year) with Ashley hitting .507, against the schedule we play,” Naeger said. “We don’t beat up on small teams. We play Class 5 teams. Then we get to the second game of districts and could hardly hit. Some teams stay hot and some don’t.
“Our first goal is to play hard. Our next one is to win conference, then win districts, in that order. We’ll focus beyond that if we’re given the opportunity.”
Tigers await verdict on star's injury
Success on the softball diamond usually isn’t dependent on one player, but there’s no doubt the Festus softball team is much better with senior Rylie Moore on the field.
But Moore might not play this fall because she’s still rehabbing from an injury she suffered during basketball season last winter. A first-team all-Jefferson County Activities Association infielder last year, Moore hit .402, drove in 28 runs and led the team with seven home runs and 10 doubles. The same injury kept the 2023 all-state javelin thrower from competing at the Class 4 state track and field championships in May.
Tiger head coach Jeff Montgomery said Moore has the ability to be the conference MVP.
“We don’t want to make it an issue because we don’t want to put any pressure on her to get back,” Montgomery said. “But she’s a pretty impactful player and it changes everything.
“It’s bigger than our team. It’s something she has to deal with, so we have to support her and hopefully we get her back.”
Festus was 17-11 overall and 5-2 in the JCAA last season. After beating North County 5-4 in the Class 4 District 1 tournament, the Tigers fell 10-0 to Farmington in the semifinals. Festus opens the season Friday and Saturday with a tournament in Cape Girardeau. The Tigers also will compete in tournaments at Rockwood Summit and Seckman and will host the ATG Classic Sept. 28, which will stack them up against some of the best teams on this side of the state.
“It will be a challenge for sure,” Montgomery said. “Last year we were more competitive offensively and defensively. I think we could be a pretty good team at the end of the year and have a shot at conference and districts.
“It’s a new year with new distractions. The kids are older and have changed. We’re like anybody else; we have to figure it out and step it up.”
With Hillsboro perched atop the JCAA for five straight seasons, Moore’s return could balance the playing field. The two Tiger conference losses last year were to the league co-MVP pitchers, Kaylee Hilton of Hillsboro and Windsor’s Riley Fendler. Both have graduated.
Youth served Festus well last year with catcher Carlie Isbell and pitcher-infielder Ava Oberle voted onto the first team all-JCAA as freshmen. In the circle, Oberle was 12-5 with a sparkling earned run average of 1.97 and struck out 118 batters in 103 innings. Sophomore Keeleigh Hankins also was a standout player in her first year.
“Hankins can hit and play on the left side of the infield,” Montgomery said. “Isbell, Hankins and Oberle had huge impacts last year as freshmen.”
Sophomore pitcher Aubrey Doyle (4-3 in 37 innings) returns and also can play anywhere on the infield. She got better as the season went on. Festus also welcomes back four-year starting outfielder Olivia Gillam, who has good speed.
“I am excited to see how all the work she has put in materializes for Olivia this year,” the coach said.
Junior Livvie Kearns is back for her third season at first base. “Kearns made a big jump last year,” Montgomery said. “She is a great kid and fun to coach.”
Juniors Kendhal Johnson, Aubree Huskey and Dani Gullet all played last year in both the infield and outfield. Johnson and Huskey have contributed since they were freshmen. “This year is big for them,” Montgomery said.
Senior Paige Pikey gives the Tigers greater depth in the outfield. Junior Miranda Machalek is returning from an injury and juniors Leinna Smith and Avery Schmitt also should bring some athleticism to the varsity.
Whether Moore plays or not, the team’s first goal is to win 20 games. That would be a sizeable boost to the program, the coach said.
“We would like to get back to where we were in 2017 and 2018 when we won back-to-back district championships. This year’s team should get better in all facets.
“It depends on the athletes and how they approach this season. Last year, our freshmen jumped in there and did well. Are they prepared to come together and make a jump to the next level? Each year is different with how kids mature and how they handle all the distractions.”
Ott returns to lead Blue Jays
Jefferson senior shortstop Lia Ott was one of the conference’s top hitters (.529 and five triples), base stealers (23) and defensive players last year. She also plays basketball and competes in track and field. Ott has another busy nine months ahead.
“Lia is an athlete and will compete,” said head coach Amanda Mohan, heading into her second year. Jefferson was 6-15 overall and 1-5 in conference play in 2023.
Junior Annabelle Richardson, an all-JCAA second teamer a year ago, is at first base and pitches and senior Chloe Burger (league honorable mention) returns to the outfield.
“Annabelle (has) power at the plate and a good glove in the field,” said Mohan. “Chloe has a ton of speed and will cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
“We are athletic and overall a fast team. We also have some power spread out.”
The Blue Jays open the season at Parkway Central today (Aug. 29) and host Fredericktown Sept. 3.
Dragons have new coach
Tyler Beers is the new head coach at De Soto, taking over a club that finished 7-10 overall and 4-3 in the JCAA last year.
One of the veterans Beers will rely on is senior Elizabeth Woelich, who was a first team all-conference selection after she hit .389 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. Woelich will be De Soto’s top pitcher; she struck out 32 but also walked 34 in 15 innings a year ago.
“We have multiple upperclassmen who will be playing big roles on our team,” Beers said. “I am still figuring out what pieces are going to fit in place.
“Elizabeth is a very strong bat for us in the lineup. (Senior) Kaly Zoph is another strong leader (who) plays multiple positions for us and is a very vocal leader on the field.”
Juniors Kylee Turner (second base, pitcher), Ella Bell (third base), Addison Glidewell (center field) and Macie Jordan (shortstop) are all in the starting lineup.
Sophomore Cheyenne Kincade returns behind the plate. Beers said Kincade is fairly new to the position but is capable of handling the pitching staff.
With just two weeks of preseason practice to make decisions, Beers said his Dragons have average speed on the bases.
“Overall we will not hit many home runs, but (will) look to plug the gaps fairly consistently,” he said. “We make sure to have good approaches at the plate, so hopefully that will correlate into getting on base a bunch.”
Woelich’s backup in the circle is Turner, who made seven starts last season and logged 26 innings. “At the moment I wouldn’t say we have one true ace,” Beers said.
He added that he wants to build for the future, not dwell on what was accomplished in the past. This year is the 10th anniversary of De Soto winning the state Class 3 championship.
“The returners we have coming back are going to be the biggest part (of) our success,” he said. “If our two pitchers are able to be successful and throw strikes, we will be in games and have an opportunity to win a bunch of (them).”
Herky continues co-op with Crystal City
For the second year under a co-op arrangement, Herculaneum fields a team this fall that includes six players from Crystal City, just one fewer than the Blackcats are supplying. Last year, the combined team went 3-15, losing 16-4 to Notre Dame (St. Louis) in the first round of the Class 3 District 1 tournament.
“This group of girls, we don’t have a lot, but the ones we do have are dedicated and that’s a big bonus for us,” Herculaneum head coach Christie Brakhage said. “In the past we had girls come out who had never played before.”
Teams get built around pitching and the Blackcats will send freshman Maddy Brown and junior Grace Lenington, both from Herky, to the circle.
“I think they’re about even,” Brakhage said. “Grace started taking lessons and is getting stronger and Maddy has been pitching for the Jeffco Express.”
They’ll be throwing to junior catcher Cheyenne Wood of Herky, who begins her third year on the team. At first base is unrelated freshman Madison Wood of Crystal City. The second baseman is Crystal City sophomore Blake Parker, with sophomore Ryanna Raftery of Crystal at shortstop and Lenington at third when she’s not pitching.
The outfield isn’t completely set, but juniors Kierstin Patterson (Crystal) and Kaylin Yamnitz (Herky, centerfield) are projected to start. Yamnitz is committed to Southeast Missouri State.
The Blackcats will play 16 games and start the year Saturday in Jackson against Saxony Lutheran.
“Our goal is to work as hard as we can and put everything on the field,” Brakhage said. “We’re trying to do better than last year.”