Going into the 2023 high school softball season, Community R-6 has 12 girls on the roster.

This is a season the Lady Trojans still think they can bounce back from the 11-11 season a year ago and win districts.

New head coach Kendra Murphy, who led the middle school program last year, said the lower number this season isn’t a concern since the team has a girl who is comfortable at each position so there shouldn’t be that much moving around. She also said this year is an abnormality as the middle school will have more kids coming up in the future, but this current group has a lot of talent.

“If we come together and play like we’re capable, I think we have a shot at winning districts,” Murphy said. “We haven’t spent a lot of time together, but just from what I’ve seen so far, they’re willing to do the things that we’re asking them to do. They’ve already shown tremendous improvement from the little time we worked with them this summer.”

Of those 12 players, two will be pitchers as sophomore Jocelyn Curtis and senior Paige Painter will split the duties in the circle for 34 scheduled games. Murphy said the defense and what it could be should fit each of her pitcher’s strengths.

“Neither one of our pitchers are big strikeout pitchers,” Murphy said. “They both had a couple strikeouts this summer, but all in all, that’s not their M.O. We need to get better at defense because the ball is going to be put in play.”

Defense is an area that can improve just like baserunning as Murphy would like Community to be a team that is more aggressive whenever the ball is in play or while trying to steal a base.

It appears offense wasn’t among those weaker areas after Murphy observed the Lady Trojans smacking the ball all over the field during the summer.

“I was very pleased with what I saw this summer with our offense,” Murphy said. “Something we’ve really been stressing to the girls and that they’ve really been buying into is you don’t have to go up there and get a hit every time. What are you doing to contribute to the success of the team?”

Murphy said this more grounded and selfless approach can involve girls laying down bunts in the right situations and advancing runners by putting the ball in play. She said Community has several girls who can rack up the extra-base hits, but those won’t happen all the time.

Someone who excels on both sides of the ball and has made an early impression on Murphy is catcher Brooklynn Glasgow. She is one of four seniors on the team along with Painter, Alyssa Beamer and Taylor Johnson.

“The glue that holds the team together is Brooklynn Glasgow,” Murphy said. “She has that natural leadership ability in her, she can laugh and joke, and she has a really good relationship with all the girls.”

The all-conference and all-district Glasgow has all of the qualities of a good leader like not being afraid to step in to give advice or encouragement and being the first one to arrive and last one to leave practice.

Rylee Rafferty will do her own form of leading in terms of leading off the order, slotting into the hitting spot and shortstop position left vacated by the graduating all-conference and all-district Sarah Angel.

“She has done an excellent job all summer long of setting the tone in games either making loud outs or getting on base,” Murphy said.

Amy McCurdy fills in at third base to replace the graduated all-conference Olivia Kuda. She is someone who has much experience as a junior despite not playing much varsity before as she plays travel ball.

“She swings the bat well,” Murphy said. “She’s not the flashiest player, but she gets the job done and makes the routine plays, which is what we need.”

Occupying the second base position left open by Rafferty is Peyton Schafer, who is a lot of experience playing in the summer; and Beamer and Chloe and Taylor Johnson expect to be the outfielders in some combination out there.

Murphy said the freshmen will see much varsity time due to the low numbers this year including Lydia Hoyt, Keara Bosworth and Grace Welch. She said they each swing the bat well while executing whatever the coaching staff needs.

“If they stay bought in to the process, buy in to some of the little things that we’re focused on and they keep working hard in practice, then I don’t see why (a district title) is a crazy goal,” Murphy said.