By Chris Parker
Crane softball returns six starters from last season’s eight-win team.
They include senior twins Shay and Addison Blair, juniors Addy Westrip and Lorene Mease and sophomores Raegan Jackson and Abrey Ellingsworth. Sophomore Tailor Cleveland would have been the seventh returning starter, but she is out for the year due to injury.
Hunter Cleveland returns for her junior season after missing her sophomore season due to injury.
“Our leaders this year will be our two seniors,” Crane head coach Mike Morelock said. “They have a lot of softball experience, and they are our pitcher (Addison Blair) and catcher (Shay Blair) this year. They will help carry the team when it needs it. They have the ability to be a spark plug for us, help provide encouragement and get the players fired up to perform their best.”
Backing Addison Blair up in the circle will be Jackson, Averie Amos and Madison Pippen.
Shay Blair will handle most of the innings at catcher.
“She (Blair) is a warrior behind the plate and at the plate,” Morelock said. “She led our team in every offensive category last season. She has a cannon for an arm and holds opponents from stealing quite a bit.”
The rest of the spots around the diamond are open for competition.
“Infield and outfield will be a lot of fun this season,” Morelock said. “It is the problem that every coach wants. We are going to have a lot of competition at almost all of our positions. I do know our returning starters will have the first shot at the starting lineup, but they are going to have to perform well because we will have several knocking on the door and trying to crack that lineup.”
Crane opens the season on Mar. 15 at Bradleyville.
“If we come together as a team, support one another, sacrifice for one another, and put the team ahead of individual accolades, we will have a very competitive season. We should field a more competitive team than we did last year but that is certainly dependent on the girls and how well they work together,” Morelock said. “I want to see our team continue to improve over the course of the season. We do not pay attention to records or state rankings.We need to take one game at a time and do everything we can to be playing our best softball when the postseason gets here.”
