By Chris Parker
Fordland softball is poised to take a big step forward this season with eight starters returning.
Three-time all-district selection Miranda Johns returns to anchor the pitching staff. She threw 100 innings with 106 strikeouts while hitting .329 with a .815 OPS>
Classmate Justine Justice and freshmen Bailey Burros and Addie Lockhart also are candidates to pitch.
Justice was an all-district catcher last season and will be the primary option back there. She hit .322 with a .742 OPS.
Johns will catch if not pitching. Sophomore Jessica Baughman could also see time catching.
Lily Kindall returns to anchor the infield at shortstop where she was all-district and all-region the past two seasons. She was the team’s top hitter with a .387 batting average and 1.059 OPS.
Britton Suter and Bailey Cook are likely starters on the infield in their senior seasons. Sophomore Gracie Buchanan and Hailey Biehl are likely starters in the outfield.
Freshmen Isabella Allsap, Gabbi Brayfield, Reese Holmes, Tia Richmond and Avery Smith also will be in the mix for time on the diamond at various positions.
“We are solid fielding, pitching, and catching,” Fordland head coach Joshua Smith said. “We did not hit as well last season as we did in 2023. I knew that going into 2024 and approached hitting as an emphasis in practice, but we still came up short. We ended at 9 wins and 13 losses last spring, losing to Plato in the district championship. Out of those 13 losses, six were decided by two runs or less. We are going into this season knowing that offense is our priority this year. You can’t win if you don’t score.”
Fordland opens on Mar. 24 at Bradleyville.
“I want us to be known for playing hard, never giving up,” Smith said. “Almost all of these kids have gone through the middle school/high school pipeline of players. They know and love the game. I want our opponents to know that Fordland plays hard and will play you until the end of the seventh inning.”
