By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2022 was a banner year for Camdenton softball.
The district champion Lakers posted a 24-9 record, falling to Helias Catholic in the Class 4 quarterfinal round.
Entering his sixth year at the helm, head coach Tyler Dinsdale credits his program’s chemistry and buy-in for its recent run of success.
“We had a really successful year in 2022,” Dinsdale said. “We were district and Ozark Conference champs and had the second-most wins in program history. All of our girls have a ‘team first’ mentality, and they are eager to do what they can to help the team.”
A pair of all-state honorees return to lead Camdenton this season in Zoe Lockhart and Cayden VonSande
“Zoe was also Ozark Conference Player of the Year, and Cayden was Ozark Conference Pitcher of the Year,” Dinsdale said. “All of the girls returning will play a very important role in us having the same success this year.”
Dinsdale also anticipates plenty of competition for playing time from a host of varsity newcomers.
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“We’ve had a lot of incoming freshmen come to our off-season,” Dinsdale said. “We have a very experienced team, but I can see the freshmen contributing quite a bit this season. We will also see a lot of our girls who played JV last year get a lot of varsity time.”
Camdenton’s push for additional postseason success this season will begin in the circle, with VonSande returning as the anchor the staff.
“For us, pitching will be the difference maker,” Dinsdale said. “We have a very solid staff with Cayden VonSande and Anna Lucas. Both of these girls were really successful last year, and they bring something different to the mound. They will keep us games and allow our bats to work.”
“We are returning eight starters so our defense will be solid,” Dinsdale said. “We’ve got multiple girls who can play different positions so our defense will be one of our strong suits this year. One of our biggest strengths could be our biggest challenge. We only graduated one girl last year so we have a lot of really talented players. If we can keep a team first mentality throughout the entire year, we should be pretty successful.”
Following a home jamboree featuring Iberia, Sedalia and Marshfield, Camdenton opens its regular season Aug. 25 in the Morrisonville Tournament.
