By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD – The Glendale softball team is coming off its third straight 16-win season — a significant achievement by itself, but one that is much more impressive considering this statistic.
Before this stretch began, it took the Falcons five entire seasons to win just 16 total games.
The team’s expectations and culture have shifted, and this year’s group looks to soar even higher as they hope to contend for an Ozark Conference title and eclipse the coveted 20-win mark.
“It takes getting the job done on the field when it matters in order to push that tide in the direction that you’re hoping to as a coach,” Glendale coach Jeff Mason said. “The players we have now understand a level of success that we are capable of and expect. That simply wasn’t the case years ago with Glendale softball. We’ve been fortunate enough to have winning teams at the varsity and JV level that allows a feeling of confidence and expectations when stepping on the field to rise.”
The Falcons hoped last season’s team would reach those milestones, but they finished 6-4 in a race dominated by undefeated conference champion Kickapoo and state runner-up Rolla (9-1).
Glendale also navigated a challenging out-of-conference schedule that included seven games against teams who finished with at least 20 wins. The Falcons had just three such games in 2020.
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Those experiences may have hurt Glendale’s 16-11 record, but set the team up for long-term success.
“We will once again be taking a jump in competition this year with our out-of-conference opponents,” Mason said. “Our staff believes we had a better season than 2020, however the wins and losses do not reflect it as well as our caliber of play did. We are trying to give our girls the best chance to compete in a tough district at the end of the season. With that being said, we have to play the best teams in the area and around the state as frequently as possible.”
The Falcons will take the field without four key contributors from last season’s team, including three all-conference picks. Anna Baker, Riley King and Anna Sallee all graduated, while Mason said junior Rachel Sallee’s family moved to Florida to be closer to family and her sister in college.
Still, the returning Falcons will have plenty of varsity experience to rely on this fall.
“This will be one of the older teams we’ve put on the field in the last five or six years,” Mason said. “Our varsity squad will be composed of primarily seniors and juniors, with a couple sophomores that we are hoping can step up to fill some holes. With that being said, we are hoping for great leadership and higher team IQ throughout the season. We should be a better offensive team while still maintaining quality team speed that has helped us in recent years.”
The most obvious hole is in the circle, as Baker and King combined to throw nearly all of Glendale’s varsity innings last fall. Both earned all-conference honors for their efforts.
Junior Alli Norris and sophomores Addison Letterman and Zoe Denny are all potential candidates.
“All of these girls are capable of getting outs at the varsity level,” Mason said. “We are excited to see all these young ladies compete, grow and excel in their first years pitching at the varsity level.”
Norris would be moving from the outfield, where she earned all-conference honors last fall.
“When she gets on base it’s hard to keep her from scoring,” Mason added. “She will be a true utility player this season that can fill any position that we need her at the most. We believe she is one of the most exciting players to watch in the Ozarks.”
The Falcons have another can’t-miss talent in five-tool senior shortstop Karsyn Phillips, the lone Glendale player to earn spots on both the all-conference and all-district teams.
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“We are still pushing Karsyn to improve on a few aspects of her game and are hoping she can have some fun her senior year and leave it all on the field,” Mason said. “We have a good idea of what Karsyn will provide our group. Now it’s up to us to put her in a situation and put the players around her to help her to excel at her highest level.”
In addition to Phillips and Norris, Glendale will return four other starters — senior Meegan Randall and juniors Madi Owrey, Sam Caldwell and Jeri Ray.
Randall will split time between second base and the outfield.
“Meegan has made huge strides in her high school career, turning herself into a well-rounded high school softball player,” Mason said. “Plays the game with great instincts and passion. We’re expecting big things her senior year as a staff.”
Mason said that Caldwell (outfield) and Ray (third base/second base) are both solid defenders whose bats are constantly getting better, while Owrey is set to return to her role behind the plate.
“She has developed into a quality defensive catcher at the varsity level as well as a formidable hitter,” the coach added. “Our staff is excited by her overall improvements and are expecting big things from the first upperclassmen catcher we’ve had since our staff has been together.”
Chandler Carlstrom (outfield), Izzy Eddy (second base/first base), Maddy Eddy (outfield/utility) and Brenna Tarter (outfield/utility) round out a six-player senior class.
Junior Presley Griffin (catcher/utility) and sophomores Avery Griffin (outfield) and Reagan Randall (utility) will all be competing for playing time on the deepest team of the Mason era.
“We value competition greatly as a program,” Mason said. “We are nowhere knowing who our starting nine (are) at this point. There are many positions that need to be earned. We feel as though we have many options and avenues to put a quality nine on the field at this point in time.”
Glendale’s first opportunity to showcase its starting nine will come August 19, when Neosho, Willard and Marion C. Early all visit Springfield for a preseason jamboree.
The Falcons open the regular season with an August 29 visit to Branson, then return home to face West Plains one day later. The latter game also serves as their Ozark Conference opener.
Other schedule highlights include non-conference matchups with perennial district title contenders Logan-Rogersville and McDonald County, appearances in the Ozark Fall Festival, Branson Lady Pirate Invitational and Springfield tournaments and a visit from Perry, a school from 80 miles west of Tulsa that qualified for the 2021 Oklahoma state tournament.
“We want our girls to continue to grow as competitors on the diamond,” Mason said. “We still have some respect to be earned around the Ozarks and beyond. While we’ve made steady improvements in the win columns and have stepped up our strength of schedule, we still need to prove ourselves more against the top dogs in the area. We want teams to know that we will fight and play the game with passion and desire.”