No team had won 22 games in Community R-6 softball history prior to last year.

However, the Lady Trojans weren’t satisfied with last season after being eliminated in their first game at districts. They are aiming for a Central Activities Conference championship, and especially, a district title this year.

Head coach Kendra Murphy said she and the girls couldn’t help but feel disappointed with how last year ended so Community R-6 definitely wants to see this season through to at least the end of districts.

“Our goal was to win districts and we fell short of that,” Murphy said. “That’s still in the forefront of our minds and still stings pretty hard.”Community R-6 softball hopes to advance further

Murphy said the Lady Trojans have to avoid those letdowns at the end of the year and hopes to be in championship-condition by that point of the season again. Repeating as conference champions should help as Community hopes to hold off teams like New Franklin.

Community R-6 has about the same number of girls out this year as last year with 12 on the roster and half of them going in as upperclassmen. After graduating three of its four all-conference players, the Lady Trojans added some players such as senior Aaliyah Welch, who took a season off; sophomore Braelyn Kuda, who transferred in from North Callaway; and freshman Myla Carroll, who fills in as the second pitcher behind all-conference, all-district and all-region Jocelyn Curtis.

“I know which nine are going to start, but we’re still trying to figure out what positions they’re going to play,” Murphy said.

Murphy said Community was forced to rearrange their defensive alignment due to girls shifting to new positions to fill holes left by graduation including Chloe Johnson in center field, Peyton Schafer at catcher and possibly senior Amy McCurdy at second base. Schafer takes over for college-bound Brooklynn Glasgow behind the plate and is considered to be a strength by Murphy along with Curtis and Carroll in the circle.

“She caught the JV schedule for us last year,” Murphy said. “She is a very seasoned player as far as she has a lot of softball knowledge. This summer, after watching her handle the two pitchers in games, it’s not going to be a rebuilding year behind the plate by any means.”

Murphy said senior Rylee Rafferty returns at shortstop, Welch should fill in at first base, and sophomores Lydia Hoyt and Kuda are expected to be at the outfield corners around the outfield captain Johnson.

Having key players like Curtis, with two solid varsity seasons already under her belt, helps Murphy be confident about the pitching. Camaraderie isn’t something Murphy has to worry about either since the girls seem to get along well and have a good grasp on the game.

“We have a group that has been playing together for several years now,” Murphy said. “They all seem to have the mindset of team-first. This summer, they were willing to put down a bunt when we needed runners moved. Sometimes, they would square around to put down a bunt without me telling them to.”

There is still some uncertainty going into this season, Murphy said, as the rearranging on defense could take some adjusting. The lineup that averaged 8.5 runs per game a year ago lost quite a bit of power after graduation.

“We have tools to be solid defensively, but we just might take a little bit before we settle into what exactly what we’re going to look like,” Murphy said. “When we really need somebody to hit a double and drive in some runs, we need to figure out how we’re going to produce the runs if we don’t have the power that we did last year.”