By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Marionville softball coach Mark Estep retired from coaching – and his job as high school principal – three years ago.
But he started to realize how much he missed coaching, and when the softball job opened up, Estep couldn’t pass it up. Now he’s back at the helm for the first season since 2019.
Estep takes over a team that went 10-11 last year and lost to Forsyth in the Class 2 District 5 tournament. The Comets scored 6.5 runs per game and allowed 5.4.
“I did go to a couple games because I still knew the girls,” Estep said. “It was a pretty young team last year. A few things I saw went really well and then a few things need to be worked on. It was one of those building years.”
Marionville graduated at least five starters from that team. Estep expects around 15 players on the roster this year.
“I haven’t got to see them very much to know where they’re all going to fit in but one of the things I’m really excited about is the athleticism we’re going to have,” he said. “I know the seven who played basketball and are also going to play softball are really good athletes and show a lot of skills. I’ve been able to work with three or four players doing offseason stuff.”
The team’s pitching and catching should be a strength, Estep said. The Comets return a pair of juniors who occupy those spots. Bailey Hosbach earned honorable mention Southwest Conference honors and first team all-district honors as a pitcher last year, and Katlin Carr was also honorable mention all conference and first team all district at catcher.
“I’ve known Bailey for several years and she’s what you would picture as a stereotypical softball pitcher, tall and lean with long arms and legs and she uses that to really power the ball in,” Estep said. “She’s got a strong fastball with a really nice changeup to offset it and she’s also throwing a curve and a screwball. She’s got a good repertoire of pitches. I look for Bailey to really step up and be up there with the cream of the crop this year as pitchers go.
“Katlin is just phenomenal at catcher,” he said. “She’s a great hitter with a beautiful swing and she has good instincts behind the plate. She’s a good blocker and pitch framer and I plan on letting her call most of the pitches because she’s really smart about what’s going on.”
Hosbach struck out at least 99 batters last season and hit at least six doubles and two triples. Carr recorded at least 10 doubles.
Olivia Hopkins, an honorable mention all-district infielder, will be the only senior on the roster – and the only player Estep coached previously, when she was a freshman. She’ll play first base this spring. She had at least two doubles and a home run last season.
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“She’s a strong girl who can really power the ball when she hits it,” he said.
Sophomore Maggie Murphy returns at shortstop after garnering honorable mention all conference and all-district honors as a freshman. Estep was impressed with her instincts and athleticism. She had a home run and at least two triples and two doubles.
“After that it’s going to be up in the air and we’re going to give everybody a shot at starting any position that’s available,” Estep said.
The Comets will jamboree at Mt. Vernon on March 10 and open the regular season March 17-18 in the Cheri Nash Memorial Tournament in Verona. They’ll once again host the Shelby Estep Memorial on April 22, an event that honors Estep’s daughter.
The team’s first home game is March 21 against Blue Eye.
“I’ve coached for a long time, both travel ball and school ball and what’s really excited me about this is the athleticism we’re going to have,” Estep said. “I’m really excited for this season. I think we’re going to do very well with what we’ve got on the field. It’ll be a little bit of me learning them and them learning me and maybe learning a few new positions for some of them. I think we’re going to put a good product on the field and give some people a run for their money.”
