Fall 2017 Preview: Bolivar Softball

By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer

Bolivar softball was way up two years ago (20 wins) and way down last year (5 wins), but with one of the best bats in the region coming back (Taylor Dial) to a lineup that’s pretty good even without her (two others hit over .360 in 2016), the Liberators will be an interesting team if they can find consistent pitching this fall.

Before getting into the pitching situation, we’re going to focus on Dial. Bolivar’s senior shortstop is coming of a season with a .494 average, 1.225 OPS, 40 runs and 11 extra-base hits. After a summer that includes being a part of a USSSA state softball championship team, she’ll probably be an even bigger threat this year.

There are good bats coming back around Dial too. Shelby Davidson (OF/IF/P) returns after hitting .417 (as a freshman!) in 2016, Charlotte Waddelow (3B) brings back her .364 average and nine extra-basers, and junior Carsyn Julien (CF) will look to improve on a solid .318 mark out of the leadoff spot.

Keep an eye on senior outfielder Jacey Follis as well. Follis finished with a .239 average but hit .318 (14-44) over Bolivar’s last 14 games.

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“Hopefully we do better than we did last year,” Bolivar head coach Brian Thompson said. “I think we have that potential, but I’m not going to say it’s going to happen, and I’m not saying we won’t be better. I think I’d be cutting my own throat if I said we’re going to win 18-20 games and then it not happen.”

Bolivar played .500 softball in the Republic Summer League, but with as many as nine players playing travel ball, Thompson was never really playing with a full roster.

One thing Thompson did differently this summer is make summer ball invite-only.

“Last year and the year before I took 20 and 18 kids and just changed the lineup around. This year what I chose to do is take who I wanted to look at for varsity,” Thompson, who invited 15 kids to the 2017 summer league, said. “There were some returners. Some new kids. One transfer. This was an opportunity for me to look at them.”

One of those newcomers is pitcher/centerfielder Katie Brooks. Just a freshman, Brooks is already receiving collegiate interest from big-time softball programs Washington, Oregon and Oklahoma State. She’s been playing for an elite travel team called the Demarini Aces out of Overland Park, Kan., where, as of mid-July, she’s had 183 at-bats and pitched in 34 games since mid-October 2016. Brooks has showed up against the country’s top under-14 talent, striking out 131 in 135.2 innings with a 4.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. At the plate, Brooks hit .361 with 23 extra-base hits (including eight triples), 48 runs, 11 steals and a .955 OPS.

“She’s going to contend, no question,” Thompson said of Brooks. “She has the potential to make some noise. I think Emme Hall could do the same thing. I have four freshmen who have the potential to be in there.”

Hall has been a part of the Missouri Elite youth travel team for a few years now, playing on their under-14 roster this spring and summer.

Grayson Rodgers returns as well after pitching for Bolivar last season.

“I’ve got 12 or 13 kids that are going to fight for nine positions, and I can honestly say that we might start 10 every game and have a DP/FLEX every game,” Thompson said. “If somebody’s not going to get it done, I’ve got kids who are going to press and get in there and hopefully make some noise. It’ll be an interesting next three years. We have three eighth graders who have the potential to make an impact [in 2018] as incoming freshmen.”