Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn’s softball team brings back plenty of experience to try to build on last season’s 12 wins.
“When I first made the move to the high school softball program, we were a very young team and have had the opportunity to play together over the last few years now, only having to fill a few holes here and there,” noted Hawk head coach Stephanie Bronstad. “We have great senior leadership again this year and a huge group of juniors filling most of the spots on the field.”
This year’s seniors are Delaney Murphy, Abby Otto and Kinsey Schirmer. The junior contingent is made up of Kamryn Ebel, Gracie Knobloch, Frankie Mohni, Addy Sheeler and Eliza Tewes. The sophomores on the team are Natalie Daggett, Hannah Tessum and Lindsey Van Es.
“The returning players have been a great help to the younger girls starting in the high school program,” shared Bronstad. Those younger players include freshmen Reece Croatt, Kynlee Dolphin, Mahkenzie Mattingly, Jenna McCallum, Ava Shriver, Kam Visser and Cammy Wilson, along with eighth graders Lexi Schmillen and Laura Vargas.
“Practice so far has been focused on live hitting and pitching,” said the coach. “We have five pitchers, three returning, that have been working hard in the off-season and it is really paying off for them.” The returning hurlers are Knobloch, Ebel and Schirmer.
Hitting for HMS has been hit-and-miss, so to speak. “We have great power hitters and need consistent hitting this year every inning,” stressed Bronstad. “We have really been trying to teach them the importance of seven-inning focus. We have been working a few line-ups depending on who is pitching, but it has been hard since we haven’t (as of mid-May) had everyone at practice yet.”
Bronstad believes the defense will hold up its end of the bargain. “Defensively we were a very strong team last year and believe we will be even better this year,” said the coach. “Our success will depend on our offense. Every year our batting and aggressiveness on the bases has gotten better and we have been really working on implementing our expectations and drills into the younger teams.”
Remsen St. Mary’s and Hinton finished 1-2 in last season’s War Eagle Conference standings. “Looking at the conference, it is always hard to predict due to teams losing players etc., but I would assume RSM and Hinton are going to be close to the top,” offered Bronstad.
The Hawks finished tied for fourth a year ago and have their sights set even higher. “We always try to inspire the team to be better than last year so I would like to see us close to the top as each year we have made strides moving up in the conference,” said the head Hawk, who is again being assisted by Barb Haag.
Bronstad shared her thoughts on what makes for a successful season. “As a coach, I believe our success as a team and individually, is improving each and every game,” she said. “Success is defined beyond batting averages and stats. As a coach, I want the players to learn successful skills such as teamwork, leadership, and confidence as a person and be able to apply that to all aspects of their lives. Being able to enjoy high school, athletics, and the relationships they build throughout will help them become a better player and all-around person.”