By Chris Parker
Fair Play softball is looking to improve on 2021’s nine-win campaign with six starters returning this year.
“The biggest strength for us this year is the number of girls returning with more experience,” Fair Play head coach Alicia Mercer said. “The last couple of years we graduated so many and had to fill so many spots that game experience was something that held us back, but this year we have more girls returning with experience.”
Second-Team All-Polk County League selection Meghan Hoxsie returns for her senior year. She threw all 99.2 innings for Fair Play last year striking out 112.
“Meghan Hoxsie will be a senior and will bring leadership with her competitiveness, drive and knowledge of the game,” Mercer said. “She has improved her pitching through more strength and stamina.”
Hoxsie is also a strong hitter. She posted a .353 batting average with a .529 on-base percentage and 1.274 OPS. She scored a team-high 32 runs.
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Freshman Mekenzie Evans could also see time in the circle pitching this year.
Junior Ashlynne Kirksey will be behind the plate at catcher. She hit .340 with a .478 on-base percentage to go with 12 RBI and 20 runs scored.
Senior Riley Tennyson (shortstop) and sophomore Alexis Francka (first base) will be key pieces on the infield. Tennyson posted a .444 on-base percentage with a team-high 32 runs scored in 2021. Francka brings back the highest batting average from last year at .409. Her OPS was 1.139. She drove in 10 runs and scored 19.
Junior Anna Grove will be in centerfield this year. She hit .311 with a .516 on-base percentage last year.
Mercer will look for her lineup to be more consistent at the plate.
“This year we need to do better offensively,” Mercer said. “We need to be more consistent with our hitting. We have some good base runners and being more consistent batting will help us score more.”
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Fair Play opens the regular season Aug. 26-27 at the Humansville Tournament.
“I always tell my girls that I expect nothing but your best,” Mercer said. “I expect them to work hard and give me the effort of a winner even when they don’t feel like it, and in return I hope that this year we can have a better record than we did last year.”
