With two players committed to playing softball at two Division I universities, Hillsboro is more than ready to defend its Jefferson County Activities Association championship.
The Hawks finished 7-0 in the JCAA last season and have junior Emma Nichols (committed to the University of Iowa) and senior Carlie Sanders (Boston College) returning to help defend their title. Nichols and Sanders were both first-team all-JCAA selections last year.
Behind Nichols’ two home runs – including a grand slam – and one-hit performance on the mound, the Hawks thumped Festus 10-0 to win their first conference crown since 2011. Soon after, Hillsboro took 20 wins and the No. 1 seed into the Class 3 District 2 tournament but lost 7-5 in nine innings to Farmington in the semifinals.
“We’ve been really focusing on defensive work and cutting back on errors,” said Nichols, who returns as the top hurler. “We had a few errors (against Farmington). If we keep putting in the work, we’ll make it pretty far.”
Nichols split time on the mound last year with now-graduated Lexi Close and each pitcher won 10 games. Nichols had a 1.64 earned-run average over 94 innings and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 91-19. In a robust lineup where three players – Close, Nichols and Sanders – had 34 or more RBIs, Nichols batted .478 with 10 doubles and four homers.
“We’ve got a lot of strong hitters this year,” Nichols said.
Junior Emily Mudd is up from the junior varsity and will spell Nichols on the mound. When Mudd pitches, Nichols will move to first base.
“Last year I switched back and forth with Emma and Lexi, and I want to do the same thing with Emma and Emily,” said Hillsboro head coach Kevin Lucas, who enters his second season at the helm. “We’ll see how it goes early on and see how it goes from there.”
Lucas said Sanders might be the best shortstop in the state. Sanders’ second-team all-state selection last year backs up that theory. She was second to Close with a .543 batting average and had 22 extra-base hits (10 doubles, five triples and seven homers).
“I’m excited to see what (Sanders) can do at the next level,” Lucas said. “She plays three sports (softball, basketball and soccer) and contributes so much to each one. Having two Division I college commits makes my job a lot easier but everyone will take notice of that.”
Two players from the JV – Maria Erxleben and Julianna Johnson – will see time behind the plate, with Erxleben anointed the starter. Lucas said both are getting used to catching varsity pitchers. Johnson is the only sophomore on the 15-player roster.
“It’s hard to carry just one catcher,” Lucas said. “(Johnson) will get some time early on (in the Troy Tournament).”
When Nichols is pitching, senior Ashleigh Wick will handle first base.
Haley Spahr and Jensen Knudtson are in a spirited battle to start at second.
“Both are hard-nosed girls and it will be fun to watch that competition,” Lucas said.
Senior Dez Thomas played on a rotational basis at third base last year and the three-year member of the varsity has that job nailed down this fall. Thomas batted .211 in 41 plate appearances last season.
Lucas said he likes the makeup of his outfield and can intertwine Skye Batchelor and Reagan Short in left or center field. Batchelor batted .471 in 20 trips to the plate.
Junior Kelsey Boyd is back in right field after being selected to the all-conference second team a year ago. Boyd batted .400 with eight doubles.
“She played every game last year so we’re counting on her to step into the cleanup spot and make up some of the home runs Lexi had last year,” Lucas said.
“I want to compete with the best,” Lucas said. “We have a lot of question marks right now. The 20-win mark is always good to reach. We want to be competitive every game and shoot for conference and district titles.
“The girls know what to expect. The girls were self-starters the first week and that makes things a lot easier as a coach.”
Tigers look to repeat as district champions
Festus head coach Jeff Montgomery got the better of his brother, Windsor head coach Wayne Montgomery, in the Class 3 District 3 championship game last fall.
The win propelled the Tigers (19-8) into the sectional round, where they fell 9-1 to Union, which had one loss going into the game. Festus lost three seniors – Jordan Oetting, Renee Lemons and Hannah Rayburn – but returns all-conference pitchers in senior Sara Hoffman and junior Cailey McFadden.
Last season, Hoffman (70 innings) and McFadden (96) split time in the circle. Hoffman didn’t play her sophomore year because of an injury, but returned to post a record of 11-2 and 2.70 ERA. She had more strikeouts (74) than innings pitched (70).
“I used to say Cailey has no idea how good she can be, but I think she is maturing into a leadership role this year and will be a dynamic player for us in so many ways,” said Montgomery, who’s coached the Tigers all 20 years that Festus has fielded a team. “She has a great bat, can run and windmill the softball in the circle.
“Sara loves the game and has worked very hard. It’s been fun watching her grow up the past four years. I think she will lead our team in many ways.”
The other four seniors – Kaylee Williams, Breanna Patek, Emilie Gibbar and Vanessa DesRoche – all have at least one year of varsity experience. Williams played third base last year and was an honorable mention all-JCAA pick. Patek has manned first base and Montgomery said she’s had some big at-bats the last two years.
“Kaylee is a very important part of our offense,” Montgomery said.
Coming off of a first-team all-conference season, sophomore shortstop Abigail Rickermann returns to ignite the offense from the leadoff spot. Last year, Rickermann stole 27 bases in 27 attempts and batted .494.
“She’s an excellent person who competes and is so coachable,” Montgomery said. “I can’t wait to coach her up this fall.”
Blair Baumer (second base), Kelsey Benack (outfield), Erica Fletcher (outfield), Caitlin Holt (second base, third base) and Lillian Smith (catcher) are the other juniors. Freshman Tristan Foulk will get varsity playing time.
Montgomery said he’d like to see his seasoned team build on last year’s district title.
“If we stay together and push ourselves, we could be pretty good,” he said. “There are some good teams in the area and we have our work cut out for us. This is truly a special group of young ladies and athletes.”
Todd Gurnow has retired as Montgomery’s assistant and has been replaced by former JV coach Drew Horrell. Gurnow’s son, Matt, now leads the JV.
Who better to replace all-state pitcher Sarah Handrahan than her catcher?
Jefferson junior Danielle Young steps from behind the plate and enters the ring of fire that Handrahan blazed in 2016 as the Blue Jays finished third in the Class 2 state tournament.
Handrahan had a hand in getting Young ready to take her place before she recently left on a full scholarship to play softball at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
Jefferson head coach Melanie Rouggly had a change of heart during the offseason about how she would replace Handrahan’s 155 innings from a year ago. All-state shortstop Abi Chipps was considered, but that idea was scrubbed because of what Chipps means to the middle of the defense.
Chipps plays softball in the summer for the St. Louis Chaos but didn’t pitch this year. She pitched seven innings for the Blue Jays last year and was 0-2.
“Pitching is not Abi’s strength in softball,” Rouggly said. “We can get more out of other girls. She has such a huge impact at shortstop and I don’t want to take that from the team.”
Young could also play either first or third base, and during tournaments, there’s a chance she could pitch and catch on the same day.
“We’ll have to watch her endurance level,” Rouggly said. “I was pleasantly surprised she picked up pitching. We want our pitchers to throw strikes.”
Freshmen Riley Jackson and Sydney Stewart will also pitch for Jefferson this year.
Chipps scored the Blue Jays’ lone run against Lathrop in the third-place game in Springfield. Her speed on the bases was Jefferson’s most effective way to score runs. She led the team with 40 runs and 40 stolen bases. She also paced the Blue Jays with a .505 batting average in 103 plate appearances.
Senior Jill Akins split time at second base last year with Morgan Wade, who graduated this spring. Akins is moving to third base full-time and in her place at second will be Maggie Burke.
“Jill hasn’t had any handouts,” Rouggly said. “She earned playing time and she will stand out as one of our better fielders and has become a very aggressive runner.”
Replacing Young behind the plate is freshman Catryn Cattoor, whom Rouggly said can play anywhere in the field.
“I expect good things from Catryn in any role she fills,” Rouggly said.
Senior Kristen Reese returns to first base after hitting a home run and finishing with 13 RBIs in 2016. Senior Josey Paar is starting in right field after her 22 plate appearances with the varsity last fall.
“She has had some unbelievable early success,” Rouggly said. “We had her lefty slapping. She’s super fast and ran some balls out.”
The Blue Jays had a record of 20-9 last year but compete in the rugged Jefferson County Activities Association. Defending conference champion Hillsboro broke open a 5-5 game in the ninth inning with 14 runs to beat the Blue Jays last season.
“It’s going to be more of a challenge this year,” Rouggly said of a possible return to the state tournament. “It took a lot of hard work to keep everybody together. We didn’t have a real strong defense behind Sarah and defensively and offensively we’re going to be strong this year. We’ve been honest and open with the situation. Last year gave the girls a standard of success to move forward.”
Dragons aim for fifth straight district title
No softball team from the JCAA has had more recent success in postseason play than De Soto, which has won a district championship each year since winning the Class 3 title in 2014.
The Dragons were a pedestrian 12-12 going into last fall’s Class 3 District 2 tournament, but downed Potosi and Park Hills Central by a combined score of 18-3 before slipping past Farmington 11-10 in eight innings in the district final. De Soto fell 5-1 to Cape Girardeau Notre Dame in the sectional.
The Dragons’ rosy outlook at defending their district title was obscured by the loss of junior pitcher Evelyn Boyer, perhaps for the season. Boyer injured her knee when she collided with a teammate in the outfield this summer for a select team.
“I don’t know when she’ll return,” De Soto head coach Matt Guemmer said.
“At the end of the day, if she makes it back it will make us better because she was strictly going to pitch and hit and this opens a spot in our lineup. We’re happy with where we’re at and we know we’re a good ballclub without her. It’s forced us to make more kids play.”
Boyer pitched 24 1/3 innings and was 3-1 last season. Senior Sydney Berry and junior Tricia Charleville (second team all-conference) are now in the circle for the Dragons. Berry and Charleville combined to pitch 6 1/3 innings in 2016.
Berry is one of seven seniors; Madalyn Bone (shortstop), Kayleigh Eberhardt (outfield), Lexi Greenlee (designated player, first base), Lauren Murphy (first base), Abbi Sampson (catcher) and Abi Waymire (utility) are the others. Sara Bone (second base) is the team’s only sophomore.
The Bone sisters are two of the Dragons’ top offensive threats. Madalyn (.333) was a second team all-JCAA performer who had four doubles and six stolen bases.
De Soto has been coached by three Guemmers since its inception in 1999. Matt’s mother, Debbie Bone, was the first coach, and his father, Dave, took over from 2000 to 2007.
“(De Soto softball) means a lot to me, and I told (the Dragon players), ‘I hope it means a lot to you.’ They take tremendous pride in being a successful program. They put in the blood, sweat and tears to keep it that way.”
Cohesive Blackcats enjoy playing together
Herculaneum barely had a pulse as it entered last year’s Class 2 District 4 tournament. The Blackcats had one win but beat Hancock 8-5 and advanced to the district final against St. Pius X. The Lancers won the district title 8-3, but Herculaneum gained some confidence along the way.
Herculaneum head coach Ashlee Weinhaus said last year’s 2-15 overall record and 0-7 league mark does not reflect the positive strides that were made.
“These athletes gained valuable game experience,” Weinhaus said. “We completed our season on a positive note. We believe our future is bright with the veteran athletes who have invested into the program along with the underclassmen.”
Senior Alyssa Huson was named to the JCAA second team last year and Weinhaus is counting on her for leadership this year. Huson and senior Jacquie Collins are both utility players.
Junior Ashleay Haun is an experienced middle infielder, good contact hitter and was honorable mention a year ago.
Sophomores Ashley Croom (catcher) and Emma Vaughn both have bright futures with the team, Weinhaus said.
Freshman Kylie Romaine is the team’s top pitcher.
“We are looking to take advantage of the experience we have gained and compete at a higher level this season,” Weinhaus said. “We expect to give each contest our best effort and continue to improve each time we step on the field.”
St. Pius X returns plenty of talent
After absorbing a 15-0 loss to Hillsboro, the Lancers were 3-13 and there seemed to be little hope for postseason success.
But St. Pius won five of its next seven games, including the Class 2 District 4 title over Herculaneum. Then the Lancers ran into a buzzsaw in Sarah Handrahan and Jefferson in the sectional round and finished the season 8-16.
“We had a schedule full of schools larger than us and, coupled with a great deal of varsity inexperience, we took some lumps,” said Kevin Halley, who enters his 10th season as head coach. “We got better as the year progressed.”
This year’s Lancers are senior heavy with seven of their 10 players – Jesse Romano, Grace Steed, Mary Kate Halfmann, Emma Stephens, Morgan Martin, Katie Throm and Elise Greenland – entering their final season. Sarah Lang is their only junior and sophomore sisters Kacey and Molly Flanagan round out the positional roster.
Freshmen A.J. Agers and Megan Payne will shoulder the vast majority of innings in the circle.
Halfmann can play first, second or third base and finished last year with a batting average of .275 with a homer and 16 RBIs. Martin plays shortstop and batted .288 with 12 stolen bases in 2016.
“We have set a team goal to win a district title again this year,” Halley said. “The kids have bought into being process-oriented in order to get there. As long as we get better every day, we will give ourselves a chance to win that (district) title.”
Owls strong in the circle
Senior Camryn Clark and junior Jessica Veselske combined to pitch Windsor to all 13 of its wins last fall, and both return from all-conference seasons – Veselske made the first team and Clark the second.
“We have two really strong pitchers who will keep us in most games,” said head coach Wayne Montgomery, who starts his eighth year at the helm.
The Lancers were 13-13 last year and lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to Festus in the Class 3 District 3 championship. Montgomery’s brother, Jeff, is the head coach for the Tigers. The Owls were playing their best ball of the year at season’s end, scoring 52 runs in their last six games. But they lost all-state catcher Shaina Kmetz to graduation. Freshman Piper Montgomery and sophomore Madison Jennewein will share the duties behind the plate this fall.
Last season, Clark batted .425 with seven doubles and 33 RBIs. She’s 18-10 in her high school pitching career.
“She has a lot of velocity,” Montgomery said. “She can hit the low 60s with her fastball.”
Veselske hit .539 with five home runs and led the Owls with 44 RBIs in 2016. She was 9-5 in the circle and struck out 60 batters in 74 innings.
Senior Nicole Berry played solidly at second base last season and Montgomery expects her to improve her hitting (.172 batting average). Senior Taylor Andrews is back at third base and Montgomery said she will add power. Senior Makayla Holt starts at first and also is looking to improve in the batter’s box.
Junior Ally Brickner batted .310 last year and was all-league honorable mention selection in the outfield. Sophomore Delana Mentel had limited varsity exposure last season but has earned a starting spot on the varsity as a pitcher and outfielder.
“We think we can compete for a conference and district championship,” Montgomery said. “We play a tough schedule this year, so if we get to 18 wins it will be a success for us.”