By Chris Parker
Hartville softball has finished 10-12 in back-to-back seasons. The Lady Eagles will be looking for their first winning season since 2014.
Identifying leaders early will be important for Hartville.
“As a coach I see players who could be a leader, but it’s ultimately up to them to go and do it. With that being said hopefully after a few practices we have some players step up into that role,” Hartville head coach Andrew Doyle said.
The pitching duties will be handled by a combination of senior Rami Murr and junior Brey Flachsmann.
“(Murr’s) best weapon is her ability to throw strikes and locate pitches,” Doyle said. “(Flachsmann’s) best weapon is her work ethic and velocity. She has put in a lot of time working this spring and summer.”
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL SEASON SCHEDULE
Senior Zoey Jordan and junior Emma Cook will be behind the plate at catcher.
McKinley Sanders (senior), Allexus Walker (senior), Molly Brown (junior), Jerra Claborn (junior), Emilee Coday (junior), Ella Boyer (sophomore), Erin Still (sophomore) and Flachsmann will all be candidates to play on the infield.
The outfield will be a combination of Jolina Bettendorf (senior), Zoey Jordan (senior), Jenna Kelley (sophomore), Katie Todd (freshman) and Cook. Kelley was a second-team all-district selection in the outfield last year.
DOWNLOAD THE O-ZONE APP NOW!
APPLE – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
ANDROID – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
“Our team strength is going to be our depth. We have had quite a few players make some large strides to put themselves into consideration for a starting spot. All of these players competing for a spot, pushing each other to get better, is only going to help us,” Doyle said. “We need to focus on eliminating the big inning when we are on defense. As well as being more competitive at the plate, putting the ball in play hard.”
Hartville opens the season Aug. 27-28 at the Morrisville Tournament.
“We are excited for the start of the season and to see how far we can go,” Doyle said. “There’s a lot of excitement within the program.”
