By Chris Parker
Numbers are strong for Humansville softball coming off a four-win season.
“We haven’t had a team with this many kids in a while,” Humansville head coach Miranda Chaney said. “Having numbers to compete for spots, to use their strengths in lineup strategy and to just give breaks will be a breath of fresh air coming from many seasons of playing multiple games with nine kids.”
There will be depth at pitcher with three who could see time in the circle including Kylee Proctor (sophomore), Madalyn McCoy (junior) and Maddie Williams (freshman).
Chaney on Proctor: “Kylee Proctor will be on the mound for us as much as she can. She had a great freshman breakout season with 14 strikeouts in her third start of her varsity year. She has battled through adversity and we hope to see her thrive this year.”
Chaney on McCoy: “Madalyn McCoy has improved tremendously. Her drive and work ethic will continue to improve her game. She pitched big games for us last year as a second-year pitcher. She will be a huge part of our pitching rotation.”
Chaney on Williams: “Maddie is a tall, long, athletic kid who can throw the ball hard. She will get chances on the mound this year as well. She is continuing to work on confidence and control. She will continue to grow into a big part of our pitching rotation.”
Alexis Walker will take over catching duties in her sophomore season.
“Alexis moved from the outfield the third base in the middle of her freshman season last year. She was a strong outfielder but after moving to the infield we knew we had found her spot, until this summer,” Chaney said. “We were without a catcher this summer, and Alexis took on the challenge. She is a super tough kid who is extremely coachable. She has come a long way this summer and will continue to get better behind the plate. We know we have one of the hardest workers and toughest kids behind the plate; she just needs some experience to go with it.”
Freshman MJ Hartshorn will also see time behind the plate when needed. She is also a shortstop.
Hartshorn will be joined on the infield by Jaeylynn Herbert (second base), Shelbie Tournbough (third base) and Madison Finley (third base).
Miley Engle (sophomore), Jasmine Cramer (sophomore) and Jasmine Grisby (senior) all have outfield experience. Freshmen Molly Green, Arianna Ward and Julianna Henry all will look to carve out roles on varsity.
Humansville will travel to Hermitage for a jamboree on Aug. 27 before opening the regular season with its home tournament Aug. 30-31.
“This is a fun group of kids who are able to compete hard and have a lot of fun while doing it,” Chaney said. “I hope to continue to see improvement while keeping a positive mindset. If we can do that, we will be competing competitively in districts.”
