By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD – The Class of 2023 helped lead the Glendale softball program to new heights.
There’s every reason to expect the Falcons can soar even higher this year.
With the majority of key contributors back from last season’s 18-win team that came within an inning of reaching the district championship game, the Falcons are eager to continue their meteoric rise and contend for long-awaited conference and district titles.
“The area has some tremendous teams and coaches, which we will need to take a serious step up in class in order to compete with on a daily basis,” Falcons coach Jeff Mason said. “However, with each year of success on the diamond these ladies are building the expectations for themselves. Winning regular seasons and competing in the postseason is a new norm for our program. The group we have coming back is poised to build on the success of the groups before them.”
Success was not a word often associated with the Falcons before 2019, when last year’s five seniors were freshmen. The quintet arrived at a point when the Glendale program had endured a decade of losing seasons, winning five or fewer games in nine of those years.
But Chandler Carlstrom, Izzy Eddy, Karsyn Phillips, Meegan Randall and Brenna Tarter helped orchestrate a true Renaissance, becoming the only class in recorded program history to be a part of four consecutive winning seasons. The Falcons won 66 games in their tenure at the school, including last season’s 18-16 season that represented Glendale’s best record since 2008.
While the players have departed, their influence on the program hasn’t gone anywhere.
And with nine players who saw significant varsity action last season all returning, the Falcons are looking like a team that could rewrite the school record books yet again.
“Success always breeds expectations, and this will hold true for this group of players,” Mason said. “We are hoping to take even more steps towards becoming one of the better teams in the Ozarks and beyond this upcoming season.”
The Falcons have four players who earned all-district and all-conference honors one year ago — seniors Alli Norris, Madison Owrey and Sam Caldwell and junior Zoe Denny.
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Norris also earned a spot on the all-region team after hitting .446, scoring 34 runs and stealing 22 bases from the leadoff spot, while Caldwell hit .358, drove in 24 runs and stole 17 bases.
Together, they give the Falcons a potent 1-2 punch in the outfield.
“Sam Caldwell and Alli Norris will lead our outfield as two of the most dynamic outfielders in the Ozarks,” Mason said. “They are both speed demons that can swing it.”
Owrey is coming off a season in which she hit .440 with 31 RBIs and 10 doubles.
“Owrey was our primary catcher last season, while playing some corner infield also,” Mason said. “We will be looking to use her more on the infield as well as behind the plate this upcoming season. She had great offensive numbers last year in the middle of the lineup that she will look to build upon”
Denny was Glendale’s ace, going 14-7 with a 4.64 ERA and 60 strikeouts as a sophomore.
“She stepped up big for us last year and gave us a chance to compete every time she went out there with the ball in her hand,” Mason said. “We are excited to see her continue to grow with her role as a pitcher and leader in this upcoming season.”
Pitching figures to be one of Glendale’s strengths, as junior Addison Letterman and sophomore Maya Manley also threw varsity innings last season. Senior Jeri Ray bolsters the team’s depth.
“These ladies have worked their tails off in the off-season and have competed well all summer long,” Mason said. “We will need multiple girls to step up and give us big games and big innings throughout the season. We are confident that we have the pitchers in house to do so.”
When she’s not pitching, Ray will see time at a couple of different spots in the infield. She primarily played third base last year, picking up a .433 on-base percentage and scoring 20 runs.
“She really got comfortable last season at the dish and did a tremendous job defensively,” Mason said. “She will be our leader on the infield this upcoming season as we replace a couple spots from last year.”
Presley Griffin rounds out Glendale’s five-player senior class.
“She will be primarily catching this upcoming season,” Mason said. “She saw significant time behind the plate at the varsity level as a junior also. She is a true ‘glue girl’ on our team that really helps bind our group together. She is an incredibly hard worker that all of her teammates look up to.”
Junior utility player Raegan Randall hit five homers and drove in 20 runs in limited varsity action as a sophomore, emerging as a true power threat.
Classmate Avery Griffin will be competing for a spot in the outfield.
“She is a reliable outfielder that has shown true flashes with her bat,” Mason said of Griffin. “She is coming off an injury-plagued season where we didn’t get to see her in action as much as we wanted to. We are eager to see what Avery will bring to our team this year.”
The Falcons are also excited about the arrival of Peyton Lindstrom, who headlines a deep freshman class. Mason called her “an incredible athlete” who can hit the ground running.
“She will be an instant contributor on both sides of the ball for us, likely playing shortstop and hitting near the top of the lineup,” Mason said. “She’s a truly special player for her age that should be one to keep an eye on around the Ozarks.”
Sophomores Isabel Gaunt, Millie VonWiller, Sammy Melton, Marley White, Aliyah Blackard and Sam Brandell will also be competing for playing time.
“Fortunately, we have some younger players that are more than ready to step up and fill some holes within our lineup,” Mason said. “We will be experimenting and having a handful of players compete over the summer and early into the season to earn those spots that have opened up with the loss of our senior group.”
With so many capable players to choose from, Mason and assistant coaches Jamie Holmes and Nakita Anderson — both former all-state players — won’t have any trouble filling out their lineup cards.
“Going into the season, we see our team having multiple strengths,” Mason said. “We should be able to hit from the top to the bottom of our lineup with some serious speed components. We also have some great defensive pieces that we need to gel together into one cohesive unit.”
The Falcons will compete in an August 18 jamboree with Willard, Neosho and Marion C. Early. A location had yet to be determined at press time.
Glendale will open the regular season on August 25 at Neosho, then host Branson for its home opener on August 28. Glendale’s first conference game will be the following day at West Plains.
“We want Glendale softball to be known as a program that can play with anyone in the state when we put our best foot forward,” Mason said. “We will play an aggressive brand of softball that will put pressure on our opponents. We hope to be known as one the harder working teams in the state with great moxie and competitiveness on the diamond. We want to put ourselves in a spot to be able to compete for postseason success.”
