North Callaway will see some new faces in the starting lineup this season.
After back-to-back seasons of winning more than 20 games, the reigning co-Eastern Missouri Conference champion …
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North Callaway will see some new faces in the starting lineup this season.
After back-to-back seasons of winning more than 20 games, the reigning co-Eastern Missouri Conference champion Ladybirds welcome a large group of younger girls they believe bring much to the team.
There will be a ton of underclassmen on this roster of 19 girls with six upperclassmen. Head coach Mariah McKee said North Callaway had to figure out the best starting lineup in the weeks leading up to the first game with so many underclassmen.
“We’re putting them in some spots where we think they’re going to be the most successful,” McKee said. “For the most part, we know what we’re going to do (with the starting lineup).”
The returning group starts with all-state pitcher Megan Schmidt, who brings much talent everywhere she plays on the field, but will especially be valuable as a leader to a young pitcher staff. Schmidt posted a 0.91 ERA with 216 strikeouts last year, so McKee said there definitely is plenty of reason for the others to listen to her.
“Megan is really good about breaking things down,” McKee said. “They are really willing to listen to her because they know what she’s accomplished. They want to learn and get better.”
Abria Olsson is a sophomore who is expected to pitch varsity innings this year and is learning how to play shortstop well, McKee said. Jocelyn Siegel is a junior who will step up as a varsity pitcher.
McKee said some other leaders at the plate and in the field are seniors Mady Gordon and Kendra Pennell. Gordon is a slapper who brings much speed to centerfield as a returning all-conference, all-district and all-region player while Pennell brings her good glove to third base. Sophie Olsson is a junior who was all-district a year ago.
Ella Higgins is a sophomore who is adjusting well to first base. Siegel and sophomore Camrey Green bring much speed to North Callaway this year, and that will probably be a big feature of this team.
“We’re really fast,” McKee said. “I’ve got a lot of quick girls this year. We’re going to really try to cause some havoc on the bases and really try to push the envelope a little bit.”
McKee said she hopes to see the girls buy in so the Ladybirds can make a deep playoff run in the near future.
“My goals are always to win conference and to win districts,” McKee said. “That’s where I’m going to try to push them and coach them up to. We’re going to do everything we can.”
