Winning record, reaching district semis marked as goals achieved

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Exeter softball team accomplished the goals it set before the season began, overcoming a young lineup to finish above .500, win a conference championship and make another postseason run.

“Overall, it was a good season,” said Ashley Fly, Lady Tigers softball coach. “We finished above .500 [at 11-9-1], which was our goal at the beginning of the season, and our goal was to fight through districts, and we did just that.

“We came up with some good wins, and we played well. “There were some games that we could have picked up that we didn’t, but overall, we had a really, really good season and was really, really proud of the kids and how they worked through adversity and came back and worked hard.”

One of the biggest changes Fly saw from the opening weeks to the postseason came at the plate.

“Start to finish, we probably improved most offensively,” Fly said. “At the beginning of the season, we kind of struggled a little bit with hitting. But, toward the end of the season, we were right up there with anybody. 

“We finished the season with Shea hitting a home run out of the park, which she had struggled at the beginning of the season, but Zeanndrea Brown, Lily Stevenson, Madison Younger and Shea Hilburn, they all stepped up. Gracie McCracken was another one that stepped up toward the end of the season and really just started putting the ball in play, little singles and doubles that definitely helped us out.”

While the offense found its rhythm, Fly said the defense remained a work in progress because of the team’s inexperience.

“You know, we were young defensively,” Fly said. “We had a lot of kids that were in different places that had never been before. There were a few times that we could have been better defensively than what we were. We had some just young mental errors, so that was definitely an area of improvement that we wanted to see.”

Although Fly said there wasn’t one defining game that stood above the rest, she recalled a pair of contests that showed the team’s growth throughout the season.

“At the beginning of the season, we were playing a really good Concordia team, and we were down like 7-0, and the girls came back and fought to get to 7-4, and then our time ran out,” Fly said. “It was just we finally got our bats started, we finally started putting things together. So, that one was a really exciting game.”

She also pointed to a late-season matchup with Crane, an 8-5 loss in the semifinals of the Class 1, District 5 Tournament.

“Probably our Crane game was one of those that was really an exciting game,” Fly said. “We played well, we fought hard. We came up short, but we played well.”

Fly credited Exeter’s senior class with helping guide the team throughout the season on both sides of the ball.

“We had Shea, Gracie, Zee and Mia Smith all as part of the team, and they all had big contributions,” Fly said. “They all contributed defensively and offensively. Their leadership as well will be one of those things that is missed with all of those girls.”

The Lady Tigers also received valuable experience from a younger group that Fly believes will form the foundation of next season’s squad.

“They’ll bring a lot of growth, a lot of fire and are ready to get back and play hard and get the freshmen next year ready to go,” Fly said. “They’ll bring a lot to the table, and a lot of experience as well.”

Fly said the team checked off each of its major goals established before the first pitch of the season.

“We wanted to win the conference championship, and we won that,” Fly said. “Then, we wanted to just get back and get to at least the second round or to the finals of districts, and we accomplished that as well. We definitely accomplished our goals throughout the season and our expectations.”

Looking ahead, Fly expects a younger roster but believes several returning players are ready to assume larger leadership roles.

“Next season, the goals would just be to get back and get ready,” Fly said. “We’re going to be young with young kids. There’ll be leadership from Lily and Kahlan Fuller, and those freshmen this year, Ava Aldridge and Madison Younger. 

“Those kids will definitely step up and be big leaders, and they will contribute a lot; and hopefully, they will be able to get us back to where we at least ended this year.”