By Chris Parker

Fall 2019 Preview: East Newton Softball

By Chris Parker

East Newton softball fielded a young squad last season that improved throughout the year. Experience gained last year should payoff for the Lady Patriots in 2019.

“Our team was extremely young last year but throughout the season they made huge strides and continued to improve both physically and mentally,” East Newton head coach Jordan Savage said. “We had a lot of speed as a team last year and we will once again look to utilize that speed and play a fast paced game on both sides of the ball.”

Makenna Braiser earned all-conference honors as a freshman outfielder last season. She has shown improvement in the off-season, which has Savage excited for what her sophomore year could bring.

“Makenna is not afraid of any stage which propelled her to make a big impact as a freshman,” Savage said. “Her physical strength has improved tremendously since last season which should help both offensively, but also defensively giving her a much stronger arm in the field. She will look to move from the outfield to the infield this season either as a third baseman or shortstop.”

Junior Katie Kester will move from third base into the circle as East Newton’s go-to pitcher this season.

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“She will have a tough task replacing Natalie Oxendine, but Katie is an extremely hard worker and has improved all her pitches since last season. We will look for her to carry the pitching load all season. She is a competitor and one that hates to lose. I believe she can be very effective and help us win a lot of games,” Savage said.

Kaitlyn Hailey returns to first base in her senior season. Sophomores Alexa Harris-Schmidt and Kaytlyn Cook will battle for second base playing time. Braiser will lock down one of the left-side infield positions with Kayla Higginbotham a candidate for a middle infield spot in her junior season.

Sophomore Kenzie Massey will look to handle centerfield duties this year. Liz Barrett will once again look to take control of left field as a sophomore. Macy Bowman is in line for a starting job in right field as a senior.

Newcomers Shaw Coburn and Madison Spencer will also be in the mix for playing time.

Defense will be improved for East Newton this year, but power at the plate will be a spot of concern early on.

“This season I believe we will take great strides defensively and prevent a lot more runs by having more speed on the field. We should be able to help our pitching staff and make her job a lot easier,” Savage said. “We will have to focus a lot on our offensive abilities and particularly our ability to hit for power. I have no worries about our ability to put the ball in play but in order for us to score a lot of runs we will need people to step up and gain more power in the box.”

Overall this young team is ready to work together for big goals.

“Our expectations for this season is that we will compete with every team we come across. We will look to build our team chemistry and focus on one common goal which is winning a district championship,” Savage said.

East Newton will travel to McDonald County on Aug. 24 for a jamboree with the host Lady Mustangs and Nevada. The Lady Patriots open the regular season Aug. 29-31 in the Commerce (Okla.) Tournament.