By Matt Turer – mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
The upward trend continues for Parkview softball. The Vikings won 11 games last fall after winning a previous decade-high six games in 2015. Much of the leadership that got them there is back, including a trio of all-conference honorable-mentions in seniors Taylor Levings (1B), McKayla Oesterriech (CF) and Isabel Bartkowiak (P).
Levings (.290 AVG.) and Oesterreich (.338 AVG.) were good at the plate but it’s Bartkowiak who will again be the biggest threat for the Vikings. She hit .317 last year with a .966 OPS and 13 extra-base hits while going 11-13 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.47 WHIP while striking out 156 in 135 innings.
“We are coming off our best season and are returning five strong senior starters,” Parkview head coach Ted Orcutt said. “We played competitively this summer and we have some younger players who will contribute.”
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Outside of the trio mentioned above, Orcutt pointed to Ciara Siebert (SS) and Harlee Janes (3B) as players to watch.
“We are also looking for big things out of our underclassmen this year,” Orcutt said.
Parkview competed in this summer’s Republic Summer League against top programs that included Republic, Strafford (spring), Nixa, Pleasant Hope and Willard.
The Vikings were eliminated by Branson, 11-0, in the first round of last year’s Class 4, District 11 tournament. It was the fourth consecutive season that Branson sent home Parkview in the first round of district play. Still a young program, the Vikings are likely hungry to end that stretch and get the program’s first-ever district win.
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