By Matt Turer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Team: Strafford Indians
Coach: Dale Bean
2019 Results: 18-7 (Lost 6-4 to Pleasant Hope in Class 1 District 8 championship)
Opening Day 2020: March 21 in the MLC Tournament
Recapping 2019
After back-to-back state champions in 2017 and 2018, Strafford fell a little short of a district championship in 2019 with a 6-4 loss to Pleasant Hope in the C1D8 title game.
But even with falling short of sectional play for the first time since 2016, Strafford still pushed itself to 18 wins behind an offense that averaged 9.0 runs per game and battled to a 12-8 win over state semi-finalist Mt. Vernon on April 22. Wins like that showed just how good Strafford still was last season, and showed that all this program needs to be a Final Four threat is a district championship win.
With four starters returning this year from 2018’s undefeated state championship team and seven of nine returning from last year’s group, the Indians are primed for another run and draped in experience.
“We’re confident that we will be highly competitive this season,” Indians head coach Dale Bean said. “My expectations are that our experience and maturity will lead to a successful season. However, with a very competitive schedule and many obstacles to overcome along the way, nothing will be easy and our success will come down to how we handle that adversity.”
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Lucky Number 7
Stafford’s seven returning starters combined to play in 174 games last season, meaning there’s no shortage of experience coming back.
“We look forward to all of our returners taking strides forward and using the experience they gained last year to compete even more this season and excelling in those higher-leverage situations,” Bean said.
Bean analyzed each of the seven and their potential impacts on the 2020 campaign. His comments, plus 2019 statistics and honors, are below:
1B Taylor Dormann – Senior
Coach’s Comments: “Taylor is entering her second season playing high school softball. She started at first base for us last year and has made huge strides. She’s become a defensive force at first base.”
Notable Stats: 23 G, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 15 R
DH/C Emma Ivey – Junior
Coach’s Comments: “Emma as a DH last year and really improved offensively to where she worked her way into the lineup as a regular. She worked hard over the summer and is looking to carry over her success at the plate into 2020.”
Notable Stats: 15 G, .219 AVG, .306 OBP
P Emma Johnson – Senior
First Team All-District, First Team All-Conference, Second Team All-Region
Coach’s Comments: “I’m expecting another very consistent, solid year from Emma on the mound. She did a great job in her first season in the circle last year and we’re looking forward to watching her compete and pitch this season.”
Notable Stats: 21 GS, 15-5, 2.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 117 K, 110.1 IP // .388 AVG, .416 OBP, 20 RBI
LF Logan Jones – Senior
First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region, First Team All-District, Second Team All-Region
Coach’s Comments: “Logan was among team leaders in almost all offensive categories last year and is able to go get them in the outfield too. She has a lot of tools and has become a very strong leader. On the basketball court this year, she’s had to step up with the loss of some impactful seniors, but she’s handled the pressure and is excelling and we’re excited to see that transfer over to the softball field.”
Notable Stats: 25 G, .443 AVG, .512 OBP, 4 2B, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 27 R
RF/FLEX Kelsie Mayberry – Senior
Second Team All-District
Coach’s Comments: “Kelsie had a strong defensive season last year. She has a lot of offensive potential and we were able to see that last summer. If she keeps working hard and improving, she can do a lot of damage in the middle of the lineup.”
Notable Stats: 17 G, .219 AVG, .419 OBP
3B Emma Mullings – Sophomore
First Team All-District, Second Team All-Conference
Coach’s Comments: “Emma is a solid all-around player. She had a strong freshman year and we’re looking to her to make an even bigger impact her sophomore season.”
Notable Stats: 25 G, .388 AVG, 10 2B, 23 RBI, 23 R
2B Taylor Treat – Senior
Second Team All-District, Second Team All-Conference
Coach’s Comments: “Taylor has been part of the process since the beginning. She started to find her stride toward the middle of last season offensively and created a lot of havoc for pitchers at the plate and catchers on the bases. She has a lot of solid tools and leadership.”
Notable Stats: 25 G, .324 AVG, .392 OBP, 21 RBI
CF Kaitlyn Vote – Senior
Second Team All-District, Second Team All-Conference
Coach’s Comments: “We’re anticipating Kaitlyn to finish the season with 20+ stolen bases, a very high on-base percentage and batting average, and tremendous defense in the outfield. She has a lot of tools and it’ll be fun watching them come together this season.”
Notable Stats: 25 G, .373 AVG, .435 OBP, 6 2B, 3 3B, 35 R
Additionally, Strafford looks to five newer names to step up in C/UTIL Bailey Chrisman (Soph.), 2B Kallie Whitlow (Junior), RF Emma Weaver (Senior), 3B/SS Hannah Grayson (Senior) and 3B Rachel Grayson (Soph.).
From that group, only Chrisman (18 G, 13 R), Whitlow (1 G, 1 R) and Hannah Grayson (1 G) saw varsity action in 2019.
“They’ll all be called on this year to make a big impact for us,” Bean said of his incoming group. “It is now their time to compete for a varsity position.”
High Expectations
After going 74-1 from 2016-2018 and winning 18 games last season, this program holds itself to a high standard. And that isn’t changing anytime soon.
“We have the potential to put together a strong season, and watching this team come together will be the best part,” Bean said. “We will look to improve on the mistakes of last season and bounce back and reach for more this year.”
