Centralia softball experienced big roster turnover with the conclusion of last season.

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The Lady Panthers said goodbye to seven seniors but have been happy to welcome its five seniors this year along with the rest of their team this summer. 

Head coach Liz Bostick said Centralia has played better than .500 baseball against a schedule littered with stiff competition and three home all-day camps, despite some of its seniors not seeing much varsity time last year because of previous seven seniors.

“The kids have really bonded well and we’re getting a good team dynamic going,” Bostick said. “Seven seniors is a big hole to fill, and all of these kids are stepping up.”

Bostick said Centralia is accustomed to facing talented teams and stingy pitching during the season so it has faced a fair share this summer, with some positive results. The Lady Panthers have faced teams like Father Tolton, Southern Boone, Jefferson City, Capital City and Fatima.

Each roster is subject to change, Bostick said while including Centralia in that discussion, so the teams the Lady Panthers faced will likely not be the exact teams they would face in a rematch during the season. Still, she said they have done well by beating Southern Boone and Capital City and narrowly losing to Fatima.

“We’ve done a really good job of putting the ball in play at times,” Bostick said. “We’re working on our baserunning, getting faster and being more intuitive on the bases as far as knowing what’s going to happen next.”

Whether it’s been Centralia’s seniors, juniors, sophomores or freshmen, Bostick said the Lady Panthers have displayed a quality that is hard to muster during the slower summer months.

“I’ve seen a lot of hustle,” Bostick said. “That’s my biggest thing. I want the effort, I want the good attitude and those kinds of things we can control.”