North Callaway softball believes the future is now after a productive first four games.

The Ladybirds moved to 4-0 and were 3-0 against district opponents this week after defeating New Bloomfield 8-4 on Saturday morning at home. North Callaway came back down 4-3 in the fourth inning to score three runs to take the lead for good.

Megan Schmidt had a key role at the plate and in the circle. After Corynne Miller tied the game at 4 with her RBI double, the freshman Schmidt scored two runs on a single as part of her 3-for-3 day at the plate. 

Lauren Speight had a solid five innings for North Callaway after allowing two earned runs on seven hits but loaded the bases in the sixth inning with no outs. Schmidt took over and struck out the next three batters for the shutout inning. She allowed the first two runners to reach in the seventh inning before striking out the next three to close out the game.

Head coach Mariah McKee said she was proud that her girls adjusted to the speed thrown by New Bloomfield’s Peityn Thomas. Ella Slater finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and Kymorie Myers finished with two hits and a RBI.

North Callaway switches from its district to its conference as it played on Tuesday in Wright City (2-1) for its Eastern Missouri Conference opener.

Schmauch, Young pace North Callaway at New Haven Invitational

North Callaway had a couple of its handful of runners stand out on Saturday at the New Haven Invitational.

Pressley Schmauch finished seventh in the girls 5,000-meters with a time of 21:28.06, and Tristan Young had the best finish for the boys in 26th place with a time of 20:00.59.

Grace Rasmussen had the next highest finish and was North Callaway’s only other girl as she placed 32nd with a 26:03.34. The other two boys were Emerson Reinhard in 58th with a 22:59.72, and John Higgins in 67th with a 26:23.66.

Ladybird volleyball swept in tough EMO match at Montgomery County

North Callaway volleyball had a chance early to see where it stands in the conference.

The Ladybirds traveled to reigning Eastern Missouri Conference champion Montgomery County on Thursday and were swept 25-14, 25-16 and 25-20. 

“The girls were put to the test against a really good conference opponent,” head coach Andrew Klein said. “Minimizing mistakes is something we'll need to work on, but credit to Montgomery for being prepared and coming out quick.”

North Callaway’s junior varsity defeated the Lady Wildcats, through, with the scores of 25-18, 14-25 and 25-19.

Junior Lakyn Hartley had two service aces and a perfect serving percentage, and freshman Alex Craighead finished with three blocks.

North Callaway (1-2) hosts Fulton (2-0) on Tuesday prior to playing at Calvary Lutheran (0-2) in Jefferson City at 6 p.m. Thursday.