2023 BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PREVIEWS

to make a lot of strides this season. We are looking for growth and improvement throughout the season.

TRIOPIA-MEREDOSIAVIRGINIA SOFTBALL

Coach:

Ty Gebhardt

Assistant coaches: Michelle Weber, Dean Werries, Jeff Bennett

Last year’s record: 11-16

Returning starters: Senior shortstop Megan Reynolds is a smooth softball player and has great hands on the infield. She can cover a lot of ground and has a great eye at the plate. Senior catcher Ava Ganz works hard behind the plate and helps our pitchers out. She has been a constant behind the plate for us for the last few years. Sophomore infielder Raye Greenstreet has a lot of power and has a great softball IQ. We look for Raye to be an anchor at first base for us this year. Her season was cut short by a foot injury last year, and I look forward to what she can do for us on defense and at the plate. Senior outfielder Gabby Young made some game-changing plays for us in the outfield last season, and I hope her confidence carries over to this season. She can cover a lot of ground in the outfield! Senior Lily Carson works hard covering ground at second base and makes some great plays over there. We are hoping to have a solid senior-led middle infield that can guide our young kids we have out there this year. Sophomore out- fielder/pitcher Lindy Parlier can glide in the outfield and covers a lot of ground in right field. She bats from the left, and brings a lot of speed to the top of our lineup.

Key losses: Hailey Reynolds (OF), Sailym Reid (1B), Addison Rohn (C/IF). Addison is still recovering from knee surgery and her absence on the field and at the plate will be felt. We hope to see her back in the lineup by the end of the season.

Key newcomers: Freshman Miley Tracy (P/OF/IF) -- Miley has played a lot of softball, and she will be an asset on the mound and is great offensively and defensively. Freshman Bella Powell (P/IF) -- Bella is a great addition to our pitching staff and can fill spots wherever we need her. She has a great bat that will make the middle of our lineup tough. Freshman Lucie Dion (3B/IF/ OF) -- Lucie is a utility player that has a great glove and feel for the ball anywhere we put her.

Pitching: Bella Powell and Miley Tracy will share duties on the mound. Both players are freshmen but bring a lot of softball experience to our team. They have good velocity and location control. I am excited to see these girls pitch, and they have a pretty sound defense to help them out as well.

Hitting: I am excited about our lineup. It’s a good mix of power and speed. We have some girls that are great contact hitters and will put a lot of pressure on defenses with their speed. Reynolds was one of our top hitters last season, and we would like to move her down in the lineup to be our third hitter to get some fast girls on base in front of her. We will miss Rohn’s power, but Greenstreet, Powell and Addison Walker can hit for power as well. I feel like we can put runners on base consistently from top to bottom in our lineup.

Fielding: In practice, our defense is working hard. With our solid pitching, I know the defense will work hard behind the pitchers. The infield will be led by Megan Reynolds, Lily Carson and Ava Ganz. Their senior leadership will be key to our success. I think our outfield is one of the fastest I have seen in awhile. Gabby Young, Miley Tracy and Lindy Parlier are fast, and get great jumps on the ball. Hailey Reynolds was our center fielder since her freshman year, and I think Miley and Lindy will work hard to fill her shoes.

Season outlook: We are pretty young, as most of our lineup is freshmen and sophomores, with a couple seniors leading us in important positions. I like this team and the energy they bring to practice every day. We are excited about what this team can possibly do this year, and we look forward to these girls competing each night. This team has a lot of talent and love for softball. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to this season so far. I don’t think it will take long for our young girls to settle in and play ball. We’ve got a tough conference, and I look forward to a lot of good softball this year.

West Central Baseball

Coach: Grant DeWitt (6th season)

Last year’s record: 14-13

Returning starters: We have several returning starters back from last year’s team that finished above .500.

Senior Tyson Brown -- Tyson will be a factor both offensively and defensively. He is a four-year starter and will be looked upon to pitch several innings, play shortstop, and more than likely continue hitting in the leadoff position.

Junior Mason Berry -- Mason will resume catching duties for the third straight year. Looking for him to continue improvement in that position and take control of the pitching staff. Mason will also be looked upon to throw some relief innings. Offensively, Mason has worked hard in the off-season fine-tuning his swing. More than likely towards the top of the Cougar lineup.

Next will be a crucial part of the West Central team. A core group of sophomores who all saw a lot of playing time as freshmen.

Sophomore Carson Brown -- Will be out to start the season, due to knee surgery. Hopefully will get him back towards the latter half of the season.