In its first six games, the Festus softball team has seen its share of teams that enjoyed playoff success last fall.
The Tigers (3-3) have played Blue Springs South (second place, Class 4), Incarnate Word (semifinals, Class 3), Hillsboro (Class 3 district champion) and St. Pius X (Class 2 district winner).
Festus won Class 3 District 3 a year ago before losing to St. Francis Borgia in the sectional round and finished the season at 18-9.
This year, Festus was moved to District 2 with De Soto, Hillsboro, North County and Windsor.
“We’ve had injuries and we’ve got four sophomores on the varsity, so the first week, that Rockwood Summit Tournament was a buzz saw,” said Festus head coach Jeff Montgomery, who started the program 21 years ago. “We’re starting to get into playing shape. We had a lot of things we had to fix and the kids have responded. It’s neat when they do that and let you coach them up.”
Festus was 2-0 against Jefferson County Activities Association teams last week, beating large-schools rival Hillsboro 4-0 and pounding St. Pius X (small schools) 15-2 in five innings. Junior second baseman Abigail Rickermann was a home run away from hitting for the cycle against the Lancers and finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored.
Rickermann and senior Cailey McFadden return after both were named to the league’s first team last fall. McFadden was humming along in the circle against St. Pius before taking a rocket shot to the shin off the bat of sophomore A.J. Agers, another first-team all-conference selection in 2017. McFadden left the game and didn’t return.
Last season, Rickermann hit .465 and swiped 36 bases to lead the Tigers. This season, she’s has 12 hits in her first 17 at-bats (.706) and already has nine stolen bases.
“She’s an amazing player. She’s very dynamic and can change a game with her skill set,” Montgomery said. “She’s our catalyst at the top of the order and is just a menace on the bases.”
At the plate last year, McFadden drew 23 walks and hit .465. She pitched a team-high 88 1/3 innings, had a record of 10-5 and ERA of 2.93.
This year, she’s 3-1 with a 3.05 ERA.
“She hit her locations and pitched an outstanding game (against St. Pius),” Montgomery said. “We got some timely hitting in the seventh inning. That’s a credit to our kids because we had some tough competition the first couple weeks of the season. We played a couple of the best teams in the state.”
Senior Erica Fletcher was a second-team all-conference pick in the outfield last year after she batted .421 and stole 14 bases. Fletcher is also one of the team’s pitchers, but she’s been lit up early.
The Tigers’ other returning players are senior Caitlin Holt (infielder), junior Blair Baumer (second base) and sophomore Tristan Foulk (catcher, third base). Foulk is batting .667 this season and bashed five homers a year ago.
Varsity newcomers include
senior Julia Ellis, junior Alyssa Seyfarth and sophomores McKenna Templeton, Morgan Green and Paige Perry. Green, Fletcher and McFadden are all left-handed pitchers.
“We have a lot of questions at this point because we graduated some kids who filled big roles,” Montgomery said. “We are going to have to get some contributions from other people and develop some kids to be successful.”
Festus played conference rival De Soto on Tuesday after the Leader deadline and hosts Herculaneum tonight (Thursday) in another league game.
New energy gives Blackcats boost this season
With several three- and four-year varsity players returning this season, Herculaneum head coach Ashlee Weinhaus sees her team headed in a new direction.
“The team is launching the season with a positive culture that continues to improve,” Weinhaus said. “It’s an individual commitment to a group effort that is something that makes the team different than the previous three years I’ve coached here.”
That new attitude came to bear against conference rival Jefferson on Sept. 6. The Blackcats’ 7-3 lead against the Blue Jays evaporated into a 9-7 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning. But Herky rallied with three runs in the seventh to pull off a 10-9 comeback win. It was the Blackcats’ first win this season. They’d lost their first two games to
De Soto and North County by a combined score of 27-1.
Junior Emma Vaughn was 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and had a double and a triple against Jefferson. Junior Ashley Croom had a double, triple and three runs batted in for the Blackcats. Pitcher Kyle Romaine, a sophomore, went the distance in the circle for Herculaneum, allowing six hits and eight walks. Romaine finished 2-3 in 26 innings.
Croom was selected to the JCAA’s first team at catcher last season after hitting .463 and assisting on 16 outs from behind the plate. She was voted as the team’s most valuable player in 2017.
Senior Angelica Wooten was a second teamer in the conference last year as an infielder and she returns to first base. Wooten is a four-year starter and she made just one error last year.
Senior middle infielders Kaitlyn Walker (second base) and Ashleay Haun (shortstop) are the Blackcats’ other two four-year starters. Haun hit .289 last year. Senior Cereta Smith is a three-year starter in the outfield.
Herculaneum’s season ended last year in the Class 2 District 4 tournament to eventual district champ St. Pius X. The Blackcats, 4-13 in 2017, were moved to District 3 at Hancock and are the only county team in that grouping. Herky is at Festus tonight (Thursday).
“Our kids have great attitudes and an excellent work ethic,” Weinhaus said. “As we keep strengthening the cohesive bond amongst the team it feels more like family. I am delighted to have the opportunity to be working with and learning from some very passionate, talented, educated and dedicated coaches. We feel grateful for our athletes and our staff.”
Owls have a lot to prove
Last season, Windsor won nine of 10 games in a two-week span before dropping five of its last six to end with a record of 16-12.
And despite having some of the top players in the area the last few years – Jessica Veselske, Camryn Clark, Shaina Kmetz and Kylie Gmerek – the Owls haven’t claimed a district championship in this decade. Despite being the higher seed last fall, Windsor was shut out 5-0 by Lutheran South in the Class 3 District 3 semifinals. In 2016, head coach Wayne Montgomery and the Owls lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to Festus (coached by Wayne’s brother, Jeff) in the district final.
Windsor is 5-2 this season with impressive wins over Jefferson, Pacific, Branson and Webster Groves. Veselske, a senior, returns as the top pitcher and shortstop a year after being a first-team all-league pick. This season, she’s pounding the ball for a .600 average, three home runs and 13 RBIs. Through 31 innings in the circle, Veselske’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is 30-4.
“We plan to be one of the top teams in the conference and compete for a district title,” Wayne Montgomery said. “Jessica on the mound will always give us the chance for victory.”
Sophomore catcher Piper Montgomery was a second-team all-conference player last year after hitting .366 with 21 RBIs. Other returners are seniors Ally Brickner (center field) and Isabella Marco (third base), junior Delana Mentel (pitcher) and sophomore Payton Irwin (shortstop). Brickner was an honorable mention selection and Irwin combines speed with solid defense.
“Along with Jessica, Piper, Ally and Payton will provide a lot of offensive power,” Montgomery said.
The Owls are in District 2 this year with De Soto, Festus, Hillsboro and North County. Windsor plays at Notre Dame (St. Louis) tonight (Thursday).
Hawks had a blast last year
Hillsboro slugged its way to the Class 3 sectionals last season before falling to Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, which eventually finished second in the state.
The Hawks’ 26-4 record was primarily due to the big bats of Carlie Sanders and Kelsey Boyd.
Sanders set the state record for home runs in a season (21) and Boyd wasn’t far behind with 15. Sanders is at Boston College playing softball, but Boyd returns after putting the fear in pitchers all summer during club play.
Sanders, Boyd and senior Emma Nichols were all on the all-conference first team last year. Nichols is one of the top pitchers in the county and she’s shown pop in her bat this year with three homers as the Hawks are off and running again at 7-1.
“As always, we hope to compete in every game,” said Hillsboro head coach Kevin Lucas, who is 53-11 in his three years. “Like most teams, our goal is to win the conference and districts and make a run in the postseason. We have a few holes to fill from last year but if we can fill them, then we could be successful.”
Seniors Emily Mudd (pitcher), Reagan Short (outfield), Jensen Knudtson (second base) and Nicole Shirrell (third base) and junior Julianna Johnson (catcher) return. Mudd is 3-0 with an ERA of 1.11 and Nichols is 4-1 and they have combined to strike out 53 batters in 49 innings.
“I would say Emma and Kelsey will be two of our leaders, but I am expecting all of our returners to be able to help lead since we have quite a few girls with no varsity experience,” Lucas said. “With what we lost offensively last year, we are going to need some girls to step up to fill those losses.”
Several Hawks are off to robust starts at the plate, including Nichols (.654, four doubles), senior Amber Cage (.458, five doubles) and junior Bailey Shuman (.458).
Hillsboro hosts the District 2 tournament, which includes De Soto, Festus, North County and Windsor. The Hawks host Poplar Bluff and Troy on Saturday.
Dragons have new coach
After assisting with the De Soto softball team for six years, Chris Woelich was hired to head the team after Matt Guemmer left to be a volunteer assistant softball coach at Virginia Tech.
The Dragons have hit the ground running under their new coach, posting a 7-5 record over a 13-day span.
De Soto lost twice last week; 7-0 to Fox and 13-2 to Cape Girardeau Notre Dame, which finished second in Class 3 last year.
De Soto finished 15-11 in 2017 after losing 3-1 to Hillsboro in the Class 3 District 2 championship.
“This team is very fun to be around and they genuinely care about helping each other,” Woelich said. “I am also thankful for how they go about playing this game. It is often said that players go 100 percent but I truly believe we have a hard-working group that gives everything they have to the team.”
The Dragons had two outstanding pitchers last year, and both, Sydney Berry and Tricia Mae Charleville, were first-team all-league picks for the JCAA. Berry graduated and Charleville, a senior, will be counted on more heavily, although senior Evelyn Boyer is 3-1 in the circle this season. Charleville is 4-2 with a 1.66 ERA.
“Tricia and Evelyn have a huge impact on our success,” Woelich said.
Juniors Sara Bone (second base) and Krysin Keath (center field) return. Bone’s older sister, Madalyn Bone (2018), was a first-team selection last fall. Sara Bone has raised her batting average by about 50 points so far this season.
Sophomore Kaitlynn Hannah and freshman Trista Grobe will split the catching duties and Grobe will also play shortstop.
“Trista is a very exciting player who has a lot of pop in her bat,” Woelich said.
Junior Madison Hayes-Gowen is batting .360 and sophomore Bailee Howard is hitting .375 and will see a lot of time in the outfield.
“(Howard) has the potential to be another sparkplug for us offensively,” Woelich said.
The Dragons were at Seckman on Wednesday after the Leader deadline.
Kuehnle replaces Rouggly
Robert Kuehnle is back where he started.
The Jefferson baseball head coach was the school’s first softball coach and did that job for six years before being replaced by Melanie Rouggly. Rouggly, who guided the Blue Jays to third place in Class 2 in 2016, was hired by the Kingston School District last May to be an assistant principal and Jefferson again turned to Kuehnle.
“For the first time, there isn’t anyone left from the (softball) teams I coached. I’m pretty excited about it,” Kuehnle said in June.
The Blue Jays struggled to replace all-state pitcher Sarah Handrahan last season and finished 7-17 a year after reaching the state tournament. Not much has changed in the offseason, as Jefferson (2-6) has allowed 10 or more runs in its last four losses.
But there are two very talented players who always make the Blue Jays dangerous. Sophomore catcher Catryn Cattoor and junior shortstop Abi Chipps were both all-conference first team players a year ago. Cattoor is widely believed to be the top softball player in the county and Chipps is right there with her.
After batting .683 in 2017, Chipps is chasing the state mark of .738 this year with 17 hits in her first 24 at-bats (.708). With 12 stolen bases this year, Chipps has 80 for her career. Cattoor is batting .625 and has 13 extra-base hits. Opponents don’t run very successfully with Cattoor behind the plate.
In a 10-9 loss to Herculaneum on Sept. 6, Cattoor had three hits and four RBIs and Chipps had two hits and scored three times.
Junior center fielder Vanessa Forister returns.
The Blue Jays move from District 3 to District 2 at Chaffee. The other JCAA school in the district is St. Pius X. Jefferson hosts Perryville today (Thursday).
Lancers seek third straight district championship
After winning the Class 2 District 4 championship the past two years, St. Pius X will compete in District 2 in Chaffee this year. The Lancers finished 14-13 last year after losing in the sectional round to Kelly, which finished fourth at the state.
The Lancers lost eight seniors to graduation and their only senior this year is Nikki Wieland.
St. Pius (2-3-1) is led by sophomore A.J. Agers, a dynamic three-sport athlete. Agers was a first-team pitcher in the conference a year ago after hurling 127 innings, striking out 145 batters and leading the Lancers with a batting average of .429. This year she’s batting .600 and has struck out 29 in 20 2/3 innings.
“With seven or eight new starters this year, we will have some growing pains early,” said head coach Kevin Halley, who enters his 11th year as head coach and 15th overall with the team. “However, this team has shown a willingness to come in every day and get better.”
Those growing pains were evident in a 15-2 loss at home against Festus on Sept. 6. The Tigers jumped on junior pitcher Isabelle McAfee for eight runs in the first inning and never looked back. Junior Tori Arriaga accounted for the Lancers’ runs with a two-run home run. Halley said it was one of the longest homers he’s seen hit at St. Pius.
Twins Molly and Kacey Flanagan, who are juniors, play middle infield and catcher, respectively. Halley said he expects major contributions from the sisters.
“They worked really hard this summer to improve and I see big years from them as they step into new leadership roles,” Halley said. “They are absolutely key to our improvement as the year progresses.”
Lilly and Tori Ott are another pair of sisters on the Lancers. Lilly, a junior, has been used as the designated player and Tori, a sophomore, is the third baseman. A trio of juniors patrol the outfield: Payton Baker (left field), Rosemary Surdyke (center) and Sara Kutilek (right).
“We will be challenged this year as I feel the JCAA is an extremely talented softball conference with teams that will test us on a daily basis,” Halley said.
St. Pius hosts the Barb Charboneau Tournament on Friday and Saturday.