By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Rolla softball program will field one of its youngest teams in recent memory this fall, but coach Kenny Hohe and his players are optimistic that good things are in store.
“We will be young, but we have already started working towards this season and the future with some strong turnout in offseason workouts and conditioning along with great participation in our open field and now our summer softball league,” Hohe said.
The Bulldogs graduated seven starters from the squad that reached the 2021 state championship game, then graduated five more from the 2022 team that finished 14-19.
Rolla’s immediate challenge is finding a way to replace graduates Taylor Bleckman, Hannah Hoss, Adalie Lauth, Kiara Webber and Lincoln University commit Taylor Heimbaugh, who all earned spots on postseason all-star teams. Hohe said all-conference pitcher Madison Hamby is also “not planning on playing” her senior season with Rolla.
The end result is a 2023 club that has just five juniors and seniors — combined.
That creates many opportunities for players to stake their claim for a starting job.
“We have had a ton of turnover the last two seasons,” Hohe said. “I don’t know if it is any higher than usual. I think it is cyclical. You have a couple of strong classes with multiple players and then you have smaller classes.”
The junior and senior classes may be small in size, but they’re packed with talent.
Three of those upperclassmen — seniors Jessica Mace and AJ Thurston and junior Brystol Klossner — were starters last season. Expect them to take on more prominent roles this fall.
“Jessica missed a huge portion of the season due to injuries, but when healthy has the ability to put any ball over the fence at any time and does a great job at third base,” Hohe said. “AJ also displays power and is flexible in the field. She will probably see time behind the plate, in the infield and also in the outfield.”
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Klossner is coming off an all-district season a year ago.
“She will be one of our top pitchers this season and also one of our top hitters batting near the top of the lineup,” Hohe said. “Brystol had a great season on the mound last year and has improved this summer. When not on the mound, Brystol will bounce around our infield and we will take advantage of her defensive flexibility.”
Rolla’s pitchers will have the benefit of throwing to sophomore catcher Abby Kriete, who was one of just three freshmen named to the Class 4 all-state team.
Kriete, who can also play shortstop, is coming off a year in which she recorded a .560 on-base percentage and stole 14 bases.
“She does a great job of always being on base and giving our team a chance to score early in games,” Hohe said. “She also is a tremendous player behind the plate. She never caught much growing up, but her athleticism and quickness make up for her lack of experience — and she has a cannon for an arm.”
Fellow sophomores Bailie Rae Morris and Sadie Morrison will provide the Bulldogs with some additional outfield depth, while classmates Emma Schwartze (pitcher/outfielder) and Olivia Grisham (infielder) are contenders for starting jobs.
“Emma has really improved as a pitcher,” Hohe said. “In addition, her bat has improved and she should help lengthen the lineup. Olivia should play a solid second base.”
Freshmen Sophie Cremer, Carly Horn, Gracie Hribar, Ellie Meyerott, Hayden Schuetz and Payton Watson will also have a chance to win spots in Rolla’s varsity lineup.
“We think several of these girls will contribute at the varsity level and that will be determined between now and the start of the season,” Hohe said.
Presley Fuller and Aubrey Pedrin complete Rolla’s four-player senior class.
“Presley should find a home in one of the outfield spots and should provide some depth to our lineup,” Hohe said. “Aubrey will compete for time at first and also at (designated player) while also being our No. 1 arm out of the bullpen. She is a different pitcher than our other starters and can be extremely effective when throwing strikes.”
After going 0-4 in games decided by one run last fall — including their season-ending loss to Glendale in the district tournament — the Bulldogs have identified some key areas of improvement.
“We need to play better infield defense and we need to improve in our offensive execution, especially late in games,” Hohe said. “We need to be better in bunting and moving runners around as well as finding a way to push across runs late in ball games.”
The Bulldogs will visit Waynesville for a preseason jamboree on Aug. 22, then kick off the regular season at the Union Tournament on Aug. 25. Their first home and conference game is Aug. 29 against Kickapoo.
“We are really excited for this season,” Hohe said. “We know we are young and have a lot of growing pains ahead of us, but we are ready for the challenge.”
