By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Kurtlin Hulette enters his second year as Miller softball head coach after leading the Lady Cardinals to an 18-7 finish in his inaugural season. They will look to make a deeper postseason run after losing in the second round of districts last season.
The team brings back an arsenal of talented players.
Rachel Nunez, junior, was the team’s starting catcher last season and will return to that role. “She is a talented athlete with a powerful bat (.641 last season) and seems to get the job done at the plate when her name is called,” said Hulette. “She can also play almost every position on the field to an elite level.”
Junior Loghann Levian is a strong athlete. “She will be dressing up as our starting shortstop,” said Hulette. “She was a reliable shortstop for us last year and got the job done on many occasions. She also has a solid bat that helps out this team; her batting average was .556 last season. Loghann will do some pitching for us on occasion if need be.”
Ashton Helton, junior, is a versatile tool on the team. “She can play infield and outfield,” said Coach Hulette, “and spends most of her time playing centerfield. She has an outstanding glove and can make almost any play for us out there. On occasion, she will play shortstop for us when Loghann is on the rubber. Ashton is also our lead-off batter and does a great job for us in that role. Her batting average was .465 last season.”
Sophomore Tori Hollister returns as the team’s starting pitcher. “She does a phenomenal job at filling up the zone and commanding her pitches,” said Hulette. “She also does a great job at getting hitters out on their front foot. I have nothing but praise for this young emerging athlete.” Hollister also added a .515 batting average last season.
“Kaylee Thomas is a senior this year and will be relied upon to do several different things for us,” said Coach Hulette. “Kaylee mainly played last year in left field, but she can also play effectively in the infield. When at the plate, Kaylee does a good job in putting the ball in play. Last year’s batting average was .442.”
Senior Kendall Neely hit .460 last season and will return as the team’s first baseman. “She does a good job at scooping balls and has a good reach,” said Hulette.
Camden Stockton, junior, is similar to Kaylee and can be an asset to the Cardinals in many ways. “Last year, she mainly played second base for us, but there were occasions that she played right field,” said Hulette. She also had a .390 batting average.
Incoming freshman Joelien Chew has a good chance of contributing for Miller this season. “As a coaching staff, we saw a lot of good things from Joelien this past summer,” said Hulette. “She helped contribute to our summer games and did a good job at that. She is also one that can play all over the field, infield and outfield.”
Freshman Riley Prier also contributed during the summer program. “Riley can catch for us, play infield, and a little outfield.”
Coach Hulette is looking forward to another successful season. “Our goal as a program is to always compete at a high level, and I feel like with this group of girls, we always have a good chance at that. We fell short of getting to the district championship this past season, so that is always a goal in mind that we have as a team.”
“I’m always excited to get the girls back for another season,” he added. “This is a special group of girls that love to compete at a high level and have always done that.”
Miller will host a jamboree with Wheaton and Greenfield attending on March 17. They host a home opener vs. Strafford on March 21.
