Athletes in a program grow up before a coach’s eyes, but it’s not often the coach grows up with them.

Mexico softball’s seven seniors have played all four years for the Lady Bulldogs and for head coach Hanna Jones, who was hired for her first head coaching role four years ago. The Lady Bulldogs won their seventh straight game Monday when they came back to defeat district foe Kirksville 9-6 on Senior Night. 

In the first meeting with Kirksville (10-8), Mexico (15-4) lost 5-4 in a game where they allowed four unearned runs. This time, senior Keerstan Ewing allowed four earned runs while scattering 13 hits, one hit and no walks in seven innings. Senior Payton Sells gave Mexico its first lead 8-6 in the sixth inning on a three-RBI double that capped an eight-pitch at bat.

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“I’m not sure she realizes how high-pressure it was,” Jones said. “She looked like she was confident in the box, and that’s big. You can tell she was ready to win that battle.”

Kirksville made a pitching change two batters before Sells, but the Lady Tigers still loaded the bases after senior Aleigha Henderson worked a seven-pitch walk. When Sells stepped to the plate, she was ready for the moment even though the stage felt bigger on Senior Night against a longtime rival.

“I really like high-pressure situations,” Sells said. “I feel like I hit well in high-pressure situations. My adrenaline was definitely pumping, and I was really excited about it.”

Ewing pitched with a deficit early when Kirksville scored two runs in the first inning, which was erased when senior Payton Shaw hit a two-RBI home run as part of her 2-for-4 four-RBI night. Kirksville pulled ahead again 5-2, but Ewing kept the score close.

“I worked outside, off the plate and around to try to get them to hit balls off the plate so they weren’t hard hits,” Ewing said. “My defense worked well.”

Ewing has pitched varsity all four years for Jones. A lot of times, freshmen pitch on junior varsity and have to wait a year or two to make the varsity team. Jones said Ewing had the mentality to handle varsity from the beginning and believes she has the mindset to pitch in college.

“She started when we were trying to rebuild our program to now,” Jones said. “She’s always been steady mentally, and physically, she’s grown a lot as a pitcher. It has been cool to see her grow as a person and player.”

Sells and Ewing both believe they’ve grown together with Jones. They said there are fun moments like the bus rides, but they are particularly fond of the moments they shared with her. 

A lot has changed in four years for the Lady Bulldogs like them going from dirt to turf at Gallop Field, but much has also changed for Jones. In that time, she married assistant coach Gavin Jones to go from Branch to Jones and then they had a daughter. The couple revealed the gender to the girls two years ago.

“Gavin pitched her a ball,” Sells said. “She hit it, and it came out pink. That’s how we knew it was Miss KJ.”

When she was hired in 2023, Jones told the Ledger that “softball has gotten me through a lot in life” and wanted “to give that same outlet to other girls” when they went through good and bad moments in high school. She is happy she could also share her moments like the gender reveal with them.

“They’re very special to me,” Jones said. “They’ve basically seen every major life event for me. I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a coach with them. When you first start out as a coach, you’re not really sure if what you’re doing is making a difference. I can tell that these girls appreciate what we do as coaches. They want to learn and get better, and that’s all I can ask for.”

Ewing and Sells said they could tell their coach cared. They are comfortable with discussing a variety of topics with Jones, whether it’s about softball or not.

“We’ve learned how much passion she has for the game,” Ewing said. “She’s always willing to put us first and has spent a lot of time away from her baby. Even if you need somebody to talk to about things outside of softball or you’re losing confidence, she’s always there.”

After losing the first three games against district opponents, Mexico has won its previous three against such opponents. Jones said the first game against Kirksville was “uncharacteristic” for Mexico, but they were definitely her girls on Monday night.

“We’re a completely different team then when we first played against them,” Jones said. “We had a hot start in Sullivan and then we got in a funk. We’ve grown a lot since that game, and the girls have made really good adjustments at the plate and by being smarter defensively. They’ve grown a lot as a team and have gelled better.”