By Pat Dailey (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Alexis Baskins and Sedona Schrunk will be striving for the same kind of success on the basepaths for Reeds Spring this season that they enjoyed in track last spring.
Baskins and Schrunk were part of the Lady Wolves’ 4 x 100 relay that qualified for State. Their speed serves them well on the ball diamond, as well. Baskins swiped 31 stolen bases last year and Schrunk had 10.
Shortstop Lexi Essick also returns after stealing eight bases last season. She was an All-Big Eight Conference Second-Team selection.
They’re among a handful of speedsters coach Scott Walker will look to unleash on opponents. Reeds Spring stole 109 bases while being caught stealing only four times last season. Expect more daring baserunning this time around, as the Lady Wolves hope to improve on their 10-15 record from a year ago.
“I think we’ve got three stinking-fast kids,” Walker said. “They will be going from first to third or second to home on about any ball that touches the grass. That’s something they’re going to have to understand. We will want to be able to small-ball people and we can be good at that. I think we can be a problem for teams.”
Baskins turned in a breakout junior season last year. In addition to her 31 stolen bases, she hit .338 and tied for the team lead with 24 runs scored.
“Baskins will hit first or second,” Walker said. “She’s got a lot of pop in her bat and is unbelievably fast and a tremendous baserunner. She’s so smart picking up things. She also has a great work ethic and is very team-oriented.”
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Baskins is being moved from second base to center field.
Essick also had 24 runs last year while hitting .348. She walked 14 times to up her on-base percentage to .482. This is her fourth season as a starter.
“She’s been solid for us,” Walker said. “She had a good season last year offensively.”
Schrunk offers the Lady Wolves versatility and is part of a deep sophomore class. She batted .391 as a freshman.
“She was a do-it-all player for us as a utility kid,” Walker said.
Walker’s priority list in the pre-season will be for the Lady Wolves to improve defensively. Of the 264 runs Reeds Spring opponents totaled last season, 134 were unearned.
“We didn’t play great defense for our pitcher,” Walker said. “We could have six new people at starting positions. Early on, we’ll have to figure something out. We’ll be learning things on the fly. We can’t hurt ourselves defensively.”
Ally Fletcher is a pitch-to-contact type and has an effective changeup. Over 134.2 innings last season, she was 10-14 with a 6.76 ERA, 71 strikeouts and 57 walks.
“She doesn’t strike out a ton, so we have to play good defense behind her,” Walker said. “I look for her to have a great junior year. She has a good changeup and locates it well.”
Fletcher endured a leg injury over the summer.
“She was out for a month,” Walker said. “We’re planning for her to be ready.”
Moriah Genuk is a newcomer to Reeds Spring who will see time behind the plate and at third.
“She’s a strong kid with pop in her bat,” Walker said. “She hits for power. She will help us.”
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Jamie Valentine split between catcher and third base last year while hitting .315.
“She had a great summer,” Walker said. “She’s hitting the ball tremendously well.”
Wynston Crain is the team’s No. 2 pitcher and will play first base when not pitching.
Amber Dawandi is making the move from catcher to left field.
“She’s learning to be a good outfielder,” Walker said. “She has worked herself into a good player. She hits well and has a strong arm.”
Angel Dowdy, a junior, is back after sitting out most of her sophomore season with a broken finger. She will play at third and in the outfield.
“She has worked her butt off all summer and will be in the mix in the infield or outfield,” Walker said.
Allisyn Vance is an outfielder Walker thinks is on the rise.
In his 22nd season, Walker is among the longest-tenured softball coaches in all of southwest Missouri.
“I tell people there’s a light at the end of the tunnel now,” Walker said, while figuring he has three or four more years of coaching in him. “I’ve had very good people to work with. I’ve had great kids and awesome assistant coaches. The administration has been awesome to me. I still enjoy it.”
