2019 Highland County Softball Preview
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The 2019 softball season is set to start for the five teams in Highland County, with all of the teams playing at various levels for the upcoming year. The Fairfield Lady Lions enter the season as one of the top teams in the Southeast District, coming off a year when they won another district championship and played in the regional round of the postseason.
Teams like the Hillsboro Lady Indians, McClain Lady Tigers, Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs and the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats are also looking to improve on last season to make their mark on this year.
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FAIRFIELD LADY LIONS
Head Coach: Mark Dettwiller
2018 Overall Record: 20-7
2018 SHAC Record: 10-3
Returning Players: 7
Entering the season in pursuit of their fifth straight district championship and fourth straight Southern Hills Athletic Conference title, the Fairfield Lady Lions are no strangers to hard work and success, but as with every year, they are starting with a clean slate as they enter the 2019 season.
The Lady Lions have also won 17 straight sectional championships, and with six district titles in the past eight seasons as well, Fairfield begins this season with familiar faces on the roster making their last starts with the program.
The seniors for the Lady Lions are Lauren Arnold, Megan Gragg, Hayleigh Lowe, Lyndee Spargur and Kaiti White. The juniors for FHS are Gracie Lawson, Taylor Lawson, Audrey Oder, Ashley Sanderson and Molly Thackston.
Fairfield’s sophomores are Megan Crum, Harley Flint, Layla Hattan, Allyce McBee and Morgan Sheridan. The freshmen for the Lady Lions are Autumn Avedisian, Chloe Butts, Caitlin Campbell, Kylie Fauber, Halle Hamilton, Sadie Knisley, Sara Knisley and Lynsey Smith.
Mark Dettwiller is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Lady Lions with 93 wins to his total, and assistant coach Tom Purtell is entering his 25th season as an assistant coach for FHS. The Lady Lions are coming off a season where they went 20-7 overall and played in the regional semifinals.
The Fairfield coaching staff said the following about the team entering the season.
“The coaching staff has high hopes for the 2019 Fairfield Lady Lions. Twenty-three Lady Lion softball players have worked extremely hard to get ready for the season. They practice to be better every day. They chase perfection in hopes of attaining excellence. The Lady Lions will field a very experienced team with seven returning starting players.
“The Fairfield Lady Lions look to their seniors for leadership. Four of the five seniors (White, Spargur, Arnold and Gragg) have been four year varsity starters.”
Returning to the pitching circle is White — an All-Ohio selection — who is a three-year varsity starter and is entering her fourth season as the starter in the circle. She’s also a leading batter on the roster as well.
“She is a three-year varsity starter at pitcher and bats third as she led the team in batting average (.500), slugging percentage (.648), on-base percentage (.602), hits (44) and doubles (10) in 2018,” a FHS press release stated. “As a pitcher, Kaiti had 19 wins, pitched 13 shutouts (including her first four tournament games), had a 1.32 ERA and averaged 11.02 strikeouts per game and only 0.68 walks per game.”
Another player to watch is Spargur, who last season batted .452 and led the Lady Lions with 39 runs and 11 stolen bases. Spargur also had no errors at first base last season in 149 chances. Another longtime varsity player is Arnold, who led FHS last season with 28 RBI, and she was also the team leader in home runs. As catcher, she had just one error all of last season.
Another top batter returning is Gragg, with a .363 batting average last season. Hattan last season batted .333 as a freshman and totaled 25 RBI and five doubles.
The coaching staff said their goals are simple: “To win a Southern Hills Athletic Conference title, a sectional championship and a Southeast District Championship, and we expect to be in a position to win every game.”
They also spoke about the upcoming SHAC season in a press release.
“Winning a fourth consecutive SHAC championship will definitely be a challenge. In 2018, the SHAC proved their strength as a conference, having advanced four teams to the district tournament: Fayetteville, Eastern Brown, Peebles and Fairfield. In Division I of the SHAC, look for Eastern Brown to finish on top. In Division II, look for Peebles to challenge Fairfield for the top spot.”
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HILLSBORO LADY INDIANS
Head Coach: Katie Moberly
2018 Overall Record: 0-18
2018 FAC Record: 0-10
Returning Players: 9
The Hillsboro Lady Indians all have varsity experience from last season and return nine players from last year’s team, which could lead to more success this season as they all know what to expect at the varsity level this season.
Hillsboro’s team consists of seniors Jordan Williamson (OF), Ashley Lykins (2B) and Heather Burba (1B); juniors Jordan Moberly (C), Christine Page (P/3B), Zoe Grove (1B); sophomores Kelcie Thornburgh (2B), Mallory Parsons (OF) and Abbie Pettyjohn (IF); and freshmen Gracey Dearmon (P/3B), Kenzie Dietrick (OF), Emma Birkhimer (IF) and Jo Myers (C).
“We only graduated one from last year's team. All except the freshmen are returning with varsity experience,” HHS head coach Katie Moberly said. “Dearmon and Page will be our pitchers. We are excited to see Dearmon mature throughout the year, as she’s a good pitcher who will learn from each experience. Helping her with this is junior Christine Page, who has been in that position and will share the duties on the mound.
“Behind the plate, we have the same situation with junior Jordan Moberly bringing her experiences to help freshman Jo Myers learn the ins and outs of varsity softball. The infielders are challenging each other every day and all are expected to contribute, so we are looking at a solid outfield with a mixture of young and older players.”
This season will be interesting for the Lady Indians with the mix of veteran players and new players to the varsity roster as they want to improve overall as a team.
“It is a new season with some good young talent coming in to push the older players. Everyone has come in with positive attitudes and is ready to contribute,” Moberly said. “I expect the returning players to continue to challenge their team every day, while leading by example. The younger players will continue to get better, accept these challenges and contribute every day.
“Our schedule is full of challenging games, both in the Frontier Athletic Conference and out. It's a short season, and there is no time for excuses. I expect us to learn and get better every day.”
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MCCLAIN LADY TIGERS
Head Coach: Ed Bolender
2018 Overall Record: 12-11
2018 FAC Record: 4-6
Returning Players: 10
The McClain Lady Tigers have a total of five players entering this year in at least their third year at the varsity level, and that should pay dividends to them for the 2019 season. In all, the Lady Tigers have 10 players returning to their roster from a season ago.
Seniors for the Lady Tigers are Allison Beatty, Elizabeth Kegley and Kaeli Anderson. Juniors for this season include: Beckley Smith, Kaylee Stevenson, Cierra Bolender, Kaleigh Easter, Emma Smith, Kayla Anderson and Erin Saunders.
The four sophomores for McClain are Kyla Burchett, Brianna Weller, Josie Crabtree and Brooke Beatty.
McClain’s pitching will see three players take turns in the circle this season with Bolender returning with five wins from a season ago, while Burchett had seven wins. New this year is Crabtree.
“They have all been looking good in the early season,” Bolender said. “They just have to hit spots so we can make plays behind them for us to have success.”
The infield for the Lady Tigers will have Smith back at third base, Stevenson back at shortstop, Easter at first base and three girls could play at second base at times this season with Kaeli Anderson, Burchett and Crabtree able to play the spot.
At catcher are Weller, Smith and Kegley.
“Beckley led us in batting average a year ago and is a tough-nosed player at the hot corner who we ask a lot of, and Stevenson led us in home runs (5) and RBI (32) and was second in batting average. She has one of the best arms at short around the area,” Bolender said. “Kaleigh Easter started last year and possesses one of the best gloves out there. She was also our fifth-leading hitter last year in average.
“Brianna Weller came up later in the season last year and won the starting job as a freshman. In limited time, she hit .500 and is very athletic behind the plate. We also have Emma Smith who is a solid defensive catcher behind the plate, and returning from an ACL injury last year, Elizabeth will also provide depth at the position.”
Bolender also spoke about the Lady Tigers’ outfield.
“In the outfield, we will be replacing two solid starters from a year ago in Payton Smith and Kendall Pollard, but leading the way is four-year starter Allison Beatty in left field. She is the veteran of the group and will be leaned on heavily to help lead this group of inexperienced but talented players.
“Next to her in center will be her sister, Brooke Beatty. She is a very athletic kid that can go get it out there. Right field to start out will probably be Elizabeth Kegley, as she has a big bat that will be of great value to have back in the lineup after being gone last year. She will work hard to get more familiar with the position through the preseason scrimmages and practice. Also seeing some outfield time will be Kayla Anderson, Erin Saunders, Kaeli Anderson and Bolender.”
One plus for McClain this season is the return of some solid hitting, as three of their top four hitters are back on the roster this season, which is something Bolender is looking forward to in 2019. He also spoke about improvements that need to be made by his team this season.
“We have three of our top four hitters returning from last year in Beckley Smith, Kaleigh Stevenson and Kaleigh Easter. Also, with the way Brianna Weller came on last year, we’re excited to see what kind of numbers she puts up in a full season,” he said. “Allison Beatty will be big for us up near the top of the lineup as well to get on in front of our big hitters. Getting Kegley back will also do nothing but make our lineup deeper.
“Last year, we still just gave away too many runs, so we must be better defensively. We don’t have 15-a-night-strikeout pitchers, so our pitchers have to hit their spots and we have to make plays behind them,” Bolender said. “Offensively, we have to be better in the bunting game when we need to use it, and I want them to be much more aggressive on the bases this year.
“I want to see how this group comes together as a team. It is a talented group of kids individually, but we need to gel together and play as one. We have to know what the other is going to do ahead of time and not react after it’s happened. The kids have set some great goals for the year. They want to win championships just like everyone does, and if we play together and up to our standards, I think we can be right there. We finished second in the league last year, so they really want to take that next step.”
As always, a new season brings excitement for the Lady Tigers.
“We’re just super excited to get started and see how it goes. Goals have been set, and now we have to put in the work,” Bolender said. “Also, I want to send out a huge thank-you to all those that have made it possible for us to have new dugouts this year. They were so needed and are very much appreciated.
“We couldn’t have done it without the help of the community.
Hopefully we get some big crowds out to support the kids. We plan to play a very exciting, fun brand of softball this spring.”
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LYNCHBURG-CLAY LADY MUSTANGS
Head Coach: Michelle Truman
2018 Overall Record: 10-10
2018 SHAC Record: 6-7
Returning Players: 9
There is improvement to be made for the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs softball team as they look to gain more wins and have more success in 2019.
The roster this season for the Lady Mustangs include seniors Jasmine Dearwester, Chelsea Hart, Brooklyn Humphrey, Sam Kirby, Morgan Parks, Kylie Vastine and Serah Whitacre. Juniors are Amber DeBoard, Aaliyah Knight and Serena Smith. The sophomores are Sierra Benney, Ashley Ernst and Haleigh Snider.
Of those players, nine are returning from last season with the pitchers this season being DeBoard, Ernst and Vastine.
As of the writing of the preview, Truman said the following about her infield, outfield and players at the plate this season.
“As far as assigned positions, these are undetermined at this time,” Truman said of both the infield and outfield. “We will be looking at various players for standout hitting. As a team, we are working on hitting consistently. Along these same lines, we are working on being more consistent and quicker on defense. Teamwork, communication and leadership are always skills we strive for and work on.
“I am looking forward to watching this team play and watching the improvement that is already occurring. This is our third year together, and every year we start at a different building point because of our improvement and desire to win. Our team expectations for this year are the following: work hard, hit and play defense consistently, teamwork, communication, stay mentally focused, play competitively and improve every game. Our conference has great teams and will be competitive as always. Our non-conference play also includes competitive teams.”
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WHITEOAK LADY WILDCATS
Head Coach: Mike Ames
2018 Overall Record: 6-17
2018 SHAC Record: 4-8 (one score not provided)
Returning Players: N/A
The Whiteoak Lady Wildcats enter the 2019 season with three seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.
Seniors for the ’19 Lady Wildcats are: Sydnie Raines, Katie Ames and Sha Van Lieu. Juniors are: Destiny Price, Kennedi Martin and Cylee Bratton.
The sophomores on the team are: Alex Greene, Katelyn Everhart, Cassi Clark and Sophie Houpe. The freshman class on the roster this season for WHS includes: Nicole Haskill, Sky Leston, Ann Ames, Brooklyn Gross, Chandra Hill, Hailey Price, Chesnee Clark and Emmy Hawkins.
WHS is coached by Mike Ames.
No other info on WHS was submitted at press time.
Teams like the Hillsboro Lady Indians, McClain Lady Tigers, Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs and the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats are also looking to improve on last season to make their mark on this year.
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FAIRFIELD LADY LIONS
Head Coach: Mark Dettwiller
2018 Overall Record: 20-7
2018 SHAC Record: 10-3
Returning Players: 7
Entering the season in pursuit of their fifth straight district championship and fourth straight Southern Hills Athletic Conference title, the Fairfield Lady Lions are no strangers to hard work and success, but as with every year, they are starting with a clean slate as they enter the 2019 season.
The Lady Lions have also won 17 straight sectional championships, and with six district titles in the past eight seasons as well, Fairfield begins this season with familiar faces on the roster making their last starts with the program.
The seniors for the Lady Lions are Lauren Arnold, Megan Gragg, Hayleigh Lowe, Lyndee Spargur and Kaiti White. The juniors for FHS are Gracie Lawson, Taylor Lawson, Audrey Oder, Ashley Sanderson and Molly Thackston.
Fairfield’s sophomores are Megan Crum, Harley Flint, Layla Hattan, Allyce McBee and Morgan Sheridan. The freshmen for the Lady Lions are Autumn Avedisian, Chloe Butts, Caitlin Campbell, Kylie Fauber, Halle Hamilton, Sadie Knisley, Sara Knisley and Lynsey Smith.
Mark Dettwiller is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Lady Lions with 93 wins to his total, and assistant coach Tom Purtell is entering his 25th season as an assistant coach for FHS. The Lady Lions are coming off a season where they went 20-7 overall and played in the regional semifinals.
The Fairfield coaching staff said the following about the team entering the season.
“The coaching staff has high hopes for the 2019 Fairfield Lady Lions. Twenty-three Lady Lion softball players have worked extremely hard to get ready for the season. They practice to be better every day. They chase perfection in hopes of attaining excellence. The Lady Lions will field a very experienced team with seven returning starting players.
“The Fairfield Lady Lions look to their seniors for leadership. Four of the five seniors (White, Spargur, Arnold and Gragg) have been four year varsity starters.”
Returning to the pitching circle is White — an All-Ohio selection — who is a three-year varsity starter and is entering her fourth season as the starter in the circle. She’s also a leading batter on the roster as well.
“She is a three-year varsity starter at pitcher and bats third as she led the team in batting average (.500), slugging percentage (.648), on-base percentage (.602), hits (44) and doubles (10) in 2018,” a FHS press release stated. “As a pitcher, Kaiti had 19 wins, pitched 13 shutouts (including her first four tournament games), had a 1.32 ERA and averaged 11.02 strikeouts per game and only 0.68 walks per game.”
Another player to watch is Spargur, who last season batted .452 and led the Lady Lions with 39 runs and 11 stolen bases. Spargur also had no errors at first base last season in 149 chances. Another longtime varsity player is Arnold, who led FHS last season with 28 RBI, and she was also the team leader in home runs. As catcher, she had just one error all of last season.
Another top batter returning is Gragg, with a .363 batting average last season. Hattan last season batted .333 as a freshman and totaled 25 RBI and five doubles.
The coaching staff said their goals are simple: “To win a Southern Hills Athletic Conference title, a sectional championship and a Southeast District Championship, and we expect to be in a position to win every game.”
They also spoke about the upcoming SHAC season in a press release.
“Winning a fourth consecutive SHAC championship will definitely be a challenge. In 2018, the SHAC proved their strength as a conference, having advanced four teams to the district tournament: Fayetteville, Eastern Brown, Peebles and Fairfield. In Division I of the SHAC, look for Eastern Brown to finish on top. In Division II, look for Peebles to challenge Fairfield for the top spot.”
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HILLSBORO LADY INDIANS
Head Coach: Katie Moberly
2018 Overall Record: 0-18
2018 FAC Record: 0-10
Returning Players: 9
The Hillsboro Lady Indians all have varsity experience from last season and return nine players from last year’s team, which could lead to more success this season as they all know what to expect at the varsity level this season.
Hillsboro’s team consists of seniors Jordan Williamson (OF), Ashley Lykins (2B) and Heather Burba (1B); juniors Jordan Moberly (C), Christine Page (P/3B), Zoe Grove (1B); sophomores Kelcie Thornburgh (2B), Mallory Parsons (OF) and Abbie Pettyjohn (IF); and freshmen Gracey Dearmon (P/3B), Kenzie Dietrick (OF), Emma Birkhimer (IF) and Jo Myers (C).
“We only graduated one from last year's team. All except the freshmen are returning with varsity experience,” HHS head coach Katie Moberly said. “Dearmon and Page will be our pitchers. We are excited to see Dearmon mature throughout the year, as she’s a good pitcher who will learn from each experience. Helping her with this is junior Christine Page, who has been in that position and will share the duties on the mound.
“Behind the plate, we have the same situation with junior Jordan Moberly bringing her experiences to help freshman Jo Myers learn the ins and outs of varsity softball. The infielders are challenging each other every day and all are expected to contribute, so we are looking at a solid outfield with a mixture of young and older players.”
This season will be interesting for the Lady Indians with the mix of veteran players and new players to the varsity roster as they want to improve overall as a team.
“It is a new season with some good young talent coming in to push the older players. Everyone has come in with positive attitudes and is ready to contribute,” Moberly said. “I expect the returning players to continue to challenge their team every day, while leading by example. The younger players will continue to get better, accept these challenges and contribute every day.
“Our schedule is full of challenging games, both in the Frontier Athletic Conference and out. It's a short season, and there is no time for excuses. I expect us to learn and get better every day.”
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MCCLAIN LADY TIGERS
Head Coach: Ed Bolender
2018 Overall Record: 12-11
2018 FAC Record: 4-6
Returning Players: 10
The McClain Lady Tigers have a total of five players entering this year in at least their third year at the varsity level, and that should pay dividends to them for the 2019 season. In all, the Lady Tigers have 10 players returning to their roster from a season ago.
Seniors for the Lady Tigers are Allison Beatty, Elizabeth Kegley and Kaeli Anderson. Juniors for this season include: Beckley Smith, Kaylee Stevenson, Cierra Bolender, Kaleigh Easter, Emma Smith, Kayla Anderson and Erin Saunders.
The four sophomores for McClain are Kyla Burchett, Brianna Weller, Josie Crabtree and Brooke Beatty.
McClain’s pitching will see three players take turns in the circle this season with Bolender returning with five wins from a season ago, while Burchett had seven wins. New this year is Crabtree.
“They have all been looking good in the early season,” Bolender said. “They just have to hit spots so we can make plays behind them for us to have success.”
The infield for the Lady Tigers will have Smith back at third base, Stevenson back at shortstop, Easter at first base and three girls could play at second base at times this season with Kaeli Anderson, Burchett and Crabtree able to play the spot.
At catcher are Weller, Smith and Kegley.
“Beckley led us in batting average a year ago and is a tough-nosed player at the hot corner who we ask a lot of, and Stevenson led us in home runs (5) and RBI (32) and was second in batting average. She has one of the best arms at short around the area,” Bolender said. “Kaleigh Easter started last year and possesses one of the best gloves out there. She was also our fifth-leading hitter last year in average.
“Brianna Weller came up later in the season last year and won the starting job as a freshman. In limited time, she hit .500 and is very athletic behind the plate. We also have Emma Smith who is a solid defensive catcher behind the plate, and returning from an ACL injury last year, Elizabeth will also provide depth at the position.”
Bolender also spoke about the Lady Tigers’ outfield.
“In the outfield, we will be replacing two solid starters from a year ago in Payton Smith and Kendall Pollard, but leading the way is four-year starter Allison Beatty in left field. She is the veteran of the group and will be leaned on heavily to help lead this group of inexperienced but talented players.
“Next to her in center will be her sister, Brooke Beatty. She is a very athletic kid that can go get it out there. Right field to start out will probably be Elizabeth Kegley, as she has a big bat that will be of great value to have back in the lineup after being gone last year. She will work hard to get more familiar with the position through the preseason scrimmages and practice. Also seeing some outfield time will be Kayla Anderson, Erin Saunders, Kaeli Anderson and Bolender.”
One plus for McClain this season is the return of some solid hitting, as three of their top four hitters are back on the roster this season, which is something Bolender is looking forward to in 2019. He also spoke about improvements that need to be made by his team this season.
“We have three of our top four hitters returning from last year in Beckley Smith, Kaleigh Stevenson and Kaleigh Easter. Also, with the way Brianna Weller came on last year, we’re excited to see what kind of numbers she puts up in a full season,” he said. “Allison Beatty will be big for us up near the top of the lineup as well to get on in front of our big hitters. Getting Kegley back will also do nothing but make our lineup deeper.
“Last year, we still just gave away too many runs, so we must be better defensively. We don’t have 15-a-night-strikeout pitchers, so our pitchers have to hit their spots and we have to make plays behind them,” Bolender said. “Offensively, we have to be better in the bunting game when we need to use it, and I want them to be much more aggressive on the bases this year.
“I want to see how this group comes together as a team. It is a talented group of kids individually, but we need to gel together and play as one. We have to know what the other is going to do ahead of time and not react after it’s happened. The kids have set some great goals for the year. They want to win championships just like everyone does, and if we play together and up to our standards, I think we can be right there. We finished second in the league last year, so they really want to take that next step.”
As always, a new season brings excitement for the Lady Tigers.
“We’re just super excited to get started and see how it goes. Goals have been set, and now we have to put in the work,” Bolender said. “Also, I want to send out a huge thank-you to all those that have made it possible for us to have new dugouts this year. They were so needed and are very much appreciated.
“We couldn’t have done it without the help of the community.
Hopefully we get some big crowds out to support the kids. We plan to play a very exciting, fun brand of softball this spring.”
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LYNCHBURG-CLAY LADY MUSTANGS
Head Coach: Michelle Truman
2018 Overall Record: 10-10
2018 SHAC Record: 6-7
Returning Players: 9
There is improvement to be made for the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs softball team as they look to gain more wins and have more success in 2019.
The roster this season for the Lady Mustangs include seniors Jasmine Dearwester, Chelsea Hart, Brooklyn Humphrey, Sam Kirby, Morgan Parks, Kylie Vastine and Serah Whitacre. Juniors are Amber DeBoard, Aaliyah Knight and Serena Smith. The sophomores are Sierra Benney, Ashley Ernst and Haleigh Snider.
Of those players, nine are returning from last season with the pitchers this season being DeBoard, Ernst and Vastine.
As of the writing of the preview, Truman said the following about her infield, outfield and players at the plate this season.
“As far as assigned positions, these are undetermined at this time,” Truman said of both the infield and outfield. “We will be looking at various players for standout hitting. As a team, we are working on hitting consistently. Along these same lines, we are working on being more consistent and quicker on defense. Teamwork, communication and leadership are always skills we strive for and work on.
“I am looking forward to watching this team play and watching the improvement that is already occurring. This is our third year together, and every year we start at a different building point because of our improvement and desire to win. Our team expectations for this year are the following: work hard, hit and play defense consistently, teamwork, communication, stay mentally focused, play competitively and improve every game. Our conference has great teams and will be competitive as always. Our non-conference play also includes competitive teams.”
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WHITEOAK LADY WILDCATS
Head Coach: Mike Ames
2018 Overall Record: 6-17
2018 SHAC Record: 4-8 (one score not provided)
Returning Players: N/A
The Whiteoak Lady Wildcats enter the 2019 season with three seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and eight freshmen.
Seniors for the ’19 Lady Wildcats are: Sydnie Raines, Katie Ames and Sha Van Lieu. Juniors are: Destiny Price, Kennedi Martin and Cylee Bratton.
The sophomores on the team are: Alex Greene, Katelyn Everhart, Cassi Clark and Sophie Houpe. The freshman class on the roster this season for WHS includes: Nicole Haskill, Sky Leston, Ann Ames, Brooklyn Gross, Chandra Hill, Hailey Price, Chesnee Clark and Emmy Hawkins.
WHS is coached by Mike Ames.
No other info on WHS was submitted at press time.