By Chris Parker

Fall 2019 Preview: Macks Creek Softball

By Chris Parker

Macks Creek won 10 games last season with the season ending in a district semifinal loss to eventual district champion Crocker.

The Lady Pirates were a young team last year with just three seniors.

“Our biggest thing was continuing to learn to play together. We had a lot of girls that could play more than one position, so the hardest part with that was moving them around and getting them to trust each other as they played those spots. That will help us greatly this year as we have six seniors that will start at multiple spots and will rely on them to be able to play more than one spot and help us train up our younger players even more,” Macks Creek head coach Jason Trusty said.

Two of those returning seniors are Jesse Willis and Bobbie Hilton. Both earned all-conference honors last season.

Willis led the team with a.426 batting average. She also scored 24 runs and had 19 RBI. She will be a utility player that could see time pitching along with playing shortstop and in the outfield.

“Jesse is a contact hitter that puts the ball in play and uses her speed. She has a bit of an upper-cut when she comes through the zone that allows her to place soft liners in the places between the infield and outfield where the fielders are not. She has the quickness to beat out slow rollers at first, which helps her gain an extra hit each night,” Trusty said.

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Hilton also had a strong season at the plate with a .410 average to go with a team-high 21 RBI and the Lady Pirates’ lone home run on the season. She will be the starting catcher.

“Bobbie is a solid contact hitter that does not try to do much with the softball. She has an inside-out swing and really tries to push the ball into the gaps in the defense. When a ball comes in on her she has the power to turn on it, but otherwise will look to move the ball towards center.

The senior trio of Shaylee Skinner, Bethany Schmidt and Willis will handle the pitching duties this year.

“Shaylee had surgery on her shoulder back in the spring and has been progressing well through her physical therapy. She is cleared to swing a bat but is still working on her pitching/throwing. When she’s been in the circle for us in the past three years she has been a bulldog that wants the ball each time out,” Trusty said. “Bethany has been working in the circle for the last three years as well and will be leaned on more with Shaylee out at the start. She works different pitches and does not have the velocity, but has grown into a dependent hurler that can give multiple innings each time out.”

The infield will be comprised of: Hilton (senior catcher), Caytlin Eidson (senior first baseman), Myra Cortez (senior shortstop), Willis (senior shortstop), Alyssa Seaholm (junior third baseman), Courtney Knight (junior third baseman), Kenzie Hicks (junior second baseman), Syrena Rector (sophomore second baseman), Molly Phillips (sophomore first baseman).

The outfield will be comprised of: Cortez (Left/Center Field), Schmidt (senior centerfield), Seaholm (Center/Right Fielder) and Phillips (Sophomore Left/Right Fielder).

Experience will be a strength for Macks Creek this year.

“We are an upper-classmen-heavy team this year with six seniors and seven juniors. Most of them are either three-year or two-year starters at the varsity level and we are really hoping that we can lean on them to help carry us. However, we have many girls that are hard workers and can break into the varsity lineup before the season finishes. We are going to have to work together this year to have the success that we want,” Trusty said.

Macks Creek opens the regular season on Sept. 3 at home against Fair Play.