By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Republic softball enjoyed a winning season in 2022.
The young Tigers squad posted a 16-13 record, falling to Nixa in the district tournament.
Graduated all-state infielder Emi Essary represented Republic’s lone senior last season.
Now heading into his 12th season at the helm, head coach Lee Dishman believes his team is ready to take the next step.
“We had a very young team with most of our team being sophomores and freshmen,” Dishman said. “These young players learned what it was like to compete on the varsity level night in and night out.”
The Tigers will be led by a talented senior duo in Jenna Belcher and Gracie Woods.
Belcher, an all-conference and all-district shortstop, hit .379 with 4 home runs, 20 runs batted in and 25 stolen bases as a junior.
“Jenna will once again be in the lead off position in the lineup,” Dishman said. “She sets the table for us because she can hit for power or just get on base to steal bases.”
Woods, an all-conference second baseman, hit. 413 with 14 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases last season.
“Gracie hit in the nine hole for our lineup last year using her as a double leadoff,” Dishman said. “She has exceptional speed, and she knows her role is just to get on base and use her speed.”
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The upperclassmen will be joined by a quartet of juniors in Annabelle Gerhardt-Hobbs, Addison Walker, Lilli Richerson and Sami Watson.
Gerhardt-Hobbs, an all-conference and all-district designated player, hit .449 with 8 home runs and 23 runs batted in as a sophomore.
“Annabelle was our DP last year and now will step in to play first base,” Dishman said. “She had a breakout year at the plate for us in 2022. She will sit in the middle of our lineup come this fall.”
Walker, a third baseman, hit .302 with 3 home runs, 24 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases in 2022.
“Addison is a good combination of power and speed,” Dishman said. “She has started since her freshman year and has made herself into a quality third baseman.”
Richerson hit .296 with 20 runs batted in last season as a catcher.
“Lilli once again will be behind the plate for us this fall,” Dishman said. “She is a great defensive catcher with a quality bat. She is just a hardnosed player.”
An outfielder, Watson hit .356 with 12 runs batted in last season.
“Sammi will play left field again for us this fall,” Dishman said. “She is a hustle player both in the field and on the basepaths.”
Sophomores Piper Dishman, Addie Brown and Paige Elsenraat also return for Republic.
In addition to his talented group of returning players, Coach Dishman expects a host of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time, including Alli Poulson, Kara Goeke, Ashland Schaumann and Cass Ellison.
“We will still have a pretty young team this year with only three seniors, but they have varsity experience,” Coach Dishman said. “Our pitching staff will be young, but they have been thrown to the fire and, hopefully, will give us a chance to win games. I like the way our lineup will be balanced this year with speed and power.”
In the circle, Piper Dishman returns as the Tiger ace following a 10-win freshman campaign with 146 strikeouts and a .289 earned run average.
“Piper Dishman stepped into the role as our number one last fall as a freshman,” Coach Dishman said. “She had her struggles at times, but she showed how she can handle adversity. She will once again be our number one, and our girls trust her. Being only a sophomore she still has plenty to learn, but I believe she is ready for the challenge.”
Coach Dishman expects Ellison and Goeke to see time in the circle, as well.
At the plate, Republic will seek to capitalize on an abundance of team speed.
“I believe our lineup will have a good balance of speed and power,” Coach Dishman said. “You will see more ‘small ball’ out of our lineup this fall – we have about 6-7 girls in our lineup that will put pressure on the defense with their speed. I believe this will be the fastest lineup we have had since I have been at Republic.”
For the Tigers to succeed and push for postseason success, consistency will need to take center stage as the team develops throughout the season.
“We are still going to be a relatively young team, so they are going to make some mistakes,” Coach Dishman said. “If we can minimize mistakes, and everyone just does their job, I like our chances to be in ballgames.”
Republic opens its season Aug. 25 in the Morrisville Tournament.
