By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD — To understand how much the Glendale softball program has improved in the past three seasons, start by examining what the players on this year’s team have seen in their time at the school.
The Falcons won 10 games in 2018, the freshman season for a current seniors. They followed that with a pair of 16-win campaigns in 2019 and 2020, when this year’s juniors and sophomores joined the team.
That’s 42 victories in three seasons — with double-digit totals in all of them.
With that level of success, it’s hard to imagine this is the same program that won just 23 times from 2009 to 2017. That nine-year stretch translates to the entire K-8 career of a current Glendale senior.
But the 2021 edition of the Falcons is the first group in over a decade that has never experienced a season like the ones that had been so common for so long. They have already redefined what it means to be a Glendale softball player and now have their sights set on taking the program even higher.
“They step on the field believing they are going to win, rather than hoping to win,” Falcons coach Jeff Mason said. “Belief can only come through success, which only happens when you prepare the correct way. These girls have put in the hard work in the weight room, cages and on the field in order to be able to compete and beat the better teams in the Ozarks on any given day.”
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The Falcons return seven starters from the 2020 team that went 16-13, including senior all-conference pitcher and Evangel commit Anna Baker. And record-setting Maryville commit Riley King, who was the team’s top pitcher in 2018 and 2019, will return for her senior year after missing last fall with an injury.
With two college-committed seniors in the circle and a lineup featuring fellow postseason award recipients Karsyn Phillips, Meegan Randall and Alli Norris, Mason says the Falcons aspire to be a 20-win team that makes a deep postseason run and secures the first Ozark Conference title in program history.
“We have the players to make it happen, we will just have to prove it on the field,” the coach said. “There are many solid teams in our conference that we will have to best in order to make that happen.”
Baker transferred to Glendale from Nixa last summer and went 12-11 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.367 WHIP.
“I’m excited to see her growth continue in the circle, at the plate and in the field when she’s not pitching,” Mason said. “She has put in a great deal of work this off-season to have the best senior season possible.”
Baker’s arrival helped the Falcons weather the loss of King, who was a dominant force in the circle during her first two years with the team. King was even better at the plate, setting program records with a .552 average, 1.094 slugging percentage, seven home runs and 49 RBI during her torrid sophomore season.
“She has worked incredibly hard to come back from a serious injury that not many girls would have,” Mason said. “It’s hard to describe in words what getting back a player of her caliber means for our team.”
Mason added that having the 2019 all-conference pitcher back in the lineup will “raise the expectations of every other player in our program,” including those who received postseason honors last season.
Phillips was a first-team all-conference, all-district and all-region infielder who led the team with 32 RBI, four home runs and a .462 batting average.
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“She is a true five-tool softball player who can dominate the game in a variety of ways,” Mason said of the junior. “She has steadily made improvements each and every year through her hard work and dedication to the game. We have no reason to believe this season won’t be more of the same.”
Norris, a sophomore, earned an honorable mention on the all-conference team after hitting .417 and stealing a team high 28 bases as a freshman. She also went 2-0 in limited action in the circle.
“She is an amazing athlete with an incredibly high ceiling as a pitcher, hitter, and fielder,” Mason said. “Alli had a remarkable freshman year and is just scratching the surface of her potential on the diamond.”
Randall, a junior, was a first-team all-conference outfielder who could also see time in infield this season. She hit .315, drove in 23 runs and scored 22 more during her sophomore season.
“Meegan is a speedy athlete with great instincts, with a strong desire to succeed,” Mason said. “She is a threat at the plate, on the bases and an impactful defender.”
Other returning starters include sophomore outfielder Sam Caldwell, sophomore catcher Madi Owrey and senior outfielder Anna Sallee, who will step into a leadership role with classmates Baker and King.
They’ll inherit the roles from Kayla Craft, Bailey Heinrichs, and Emily Phillips, who graduated with the Class of 2021. Mason said the graduates displayed a “program-changing” work ethic and leadership.
“We will need to fill a few infield spots with the departure of our senior group,” Mason said. “However, the more important part will be filling the gap of their leadership. I look forward to seeing the girls step into the positions of leadership that were so excellently exhibited last year.”
Mason also lauded the contributions of assistant coach Jamie Holmes, who joined the staff three years ago. Holmes earned three all-state selections during her standout career at Republic and was a 2018 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. She works closely with Baker, King and the pitching staff.
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“She has been paramount in transforming our group into a competitive bunch in a short period of time,” Mason said of his fellow coach. “I’ve been learning from her on a daily basis since she came to Glendale.”
Juniors Lauren Bloxom, Chandler Carlstrom, Izzy Eddy and Maddy Eddy, sophomores Presley Griffin, Jeri Ray and Rachel Sallee and freshmen Zoe Denny, Avery Griffin, Addison Letterman and Reagan Randall will all be asked to contribute as the Falcons field one of the deepest rosters the program has ever seen.
“We believe strongly in healthy competition in our program,” Mason said. “Returning starters give us confidence, yet everyone is expected to compete every day if they want to be in the mix to start throughout the season. A lot of girls will be given opportunities early on in the season and they will have to earn their time by their performance on the field.”
The Falcons are set to open the season on August 30, when they will host Branson.
