By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
Mt. Vernon will ride Harley Daniels’ pitching in what the Lady Mountaineers are hoping will be a banner season.
Daniels appears primed for a stellar senior year, after being chosen to the Class 2 All-State First Team a year ago, when she had a 21-3 W-L record, 1.09 ERA and 179 strikeouts.
Let’s not forget Daniels’ bat. She often helped herself last season by hitting .462 with 38 RBIs from the cleanup spot. Her 16 extra-base hits included a dozen doubles, two triples and two home runs.
“She will look to build on the year she had last year and make improvements in the circle and at the plate,” 11th-year Mt. Vernon coach Matt Schubert said. “We hope that she can continue to improve her walk rate and keep a high number of strikeouts. Being a strikeout pitcher allows Harley to escape jams.
“We look for her to continue to be that dominant force in the circle that gives us a chance to win each time out,” he added. “She works extremely hard and is dedicated to the sport. Having signed to play at State Fair will allow her to relax and help lead us to a deep playoff run.”
Daniels is among six starters Mt. Vernon welcomes back from its Big Eight Conference championship team of last season. The other returning starters are Allie Schubert, Payge Evans, Cheyenne Bieber, Rae Downing and Molly Daniels.
Harley Daniels, Allie Schubert, Evans and Bieber were all named to the All-Big Eight First Team a year ago.
The Lady Mountaineers look to feature table-setters in Evans and Molly Daniels at the top of their lineup, followed by big bats supplying power.
“Our lineup looks to have a good mixture of speed and power,” Matt Schubert said. “Payge and Molly will be slappers who have great speed and then (our) 3-8 hitters will all have home run potential. Many of them will also be able to run the bases very well with intelligence and speed. We will also have several options off of the bench that can provide good speed when needed.”
Allie Schubert is at first base and is fresh from hitting .354 with 37 runs scored and 24 RBIs. In addition, she contributed eight sacrifices.
“She is the best situational hitter we have,” Matt Schubert said. “We look for her to drive in more runs this year. Allie hit in the second spot last year, but will (hit) in the third hole this year. Defensively, she is also very situationally aware and is the leader on the infield.”
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Evans is moving from the outfield to second base, after hitting .436 and leading Mt. Vernon with 38 runs and 20 stolen bases last season.
“Payge returns to the leadoff spot,” Schubert said. (She’s) possesses great speed (and) puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Bieber filled a utility role last season and will likely be in center field when not pitching this season. A year ago, she hit .409 with 10 doubles, three home runs, 37 RBIs and 33 runs.
Downing caught every inning for Mt. Vernon as a freshman last season and had just nine passed balls and threw out 28 percent of runners trying to steal on her. She hit .390 with 13 doubles, a pair of triples and a team-leading four homers and 29 RBIs.
Molly Daniels batted .420 as a freshman with 26 runs and nine stolen bases. She’s making the move from third base to shortstop
“Great athlete who has great speed and a plus-arm,” Schubert said. “(She) will do well as the team’s shortstop.”
Ally Burk returns after being a part-time starter in right field. She had a .419 on-base percentage a year ago.
Pitcher Ava Bellis won her only varsity start and had a 4-2 W-L record on the junior-varsity last season.
Newcomers who figure to be in the mix for Mt. Vernon are Kaylee Scrivner, Maddie Schubert, Hali Stokes and Lili Burk. On the jayvee last season, Scrivner batted .438 and Schubert .381.
Outfielder Madison Rinker will sit out the season after tearing an ACL playing basketball.
Mt. Vernon and Class 2 state champion Diamond formed a great rivalry last season. Diamond edged Mt. Vernon 1-0 in the post-season. Expect more of the same this season. The teams could play each other as many as four times.
“We look for any game with them to be tough and have a playoff intensity,” Schubert said.
Mt. Vernon’s schedule is stacked. The Lady Mountaineers will host their own tournament and a field that includes some of southwest Missouri’s premier programs in Purdy, Strafford, Diamond, East Newton, El Dorado Springs, Ash Grove and Forsyth.
“We continue to build a tough schedule to prepare us to compete in districts and hopefully a deep postseason run, which is what the expectation is in our program,” Schubert said. “We will have to be able to play to the best of our ability to compete in each game. There will be no easy games.”
Schubert is optimistic his team is on the verge of great things.
“We have very high expectations,” Schubert said. “Losing 1-0 to Diamond in the district semis and then seeing them go on to win a state championship, gave us an idea of how close we were to being one of the top teams in the state. With the experience that our younger players gained, we look for them to improve from the very good seasons they had last year. With that expected improvement, we see an opportunity to maybe make a run to the Final Four and compete for a state championship. We know we will have to continue to improve each day and play well in those big games.”
