“It has been a little hard to judge since we have been stuck in the gym, but I am excited to see what Karlie Petersen and Hattie Fullhart are able to do for us this year,” said Coach Smith.  “Karlie is pretty versatile, but we are mainly looking at her for third base, and Hattie as our left fielder.  Karlie is a tenth grader and Hattie is a freshman.  Both have worked very hard so far and I am excited to see what they are able to do once we are able to get outside.  I am anticipating Maddie Budke to take on the leadership role for our outfield with her being a returner in centerfield.  Having Rylynn Krein back on the mound this year as well can help set the tone for the game.  We also have a middle infield with returners who have that varsity experience with Karyssa Eberle at shortstop and Bella Anderson at second.”

Smith will be assisted by Kari Krein (Varsity Assistant), Sabrina Noon (Varsity Assistant), Sheri Smith (JV) and Stevie Caputo (C Squad).

“I am new to the team this year, but based on what I have seen I am very excited to see what this team can do,” added Coach Smith.  “They work hard during practice and have been extremely coachable.  It has been a fun group of players to get to know and work with.  They don’t hesitate to ask questions and you can see each of them wants to get better and do well.  We are fortunate to have some returning players, which will help give leadership to our newcomers and provide experience in some of our key positions.”

Smith says Hawley and DGF will most likely be the favorites in Section 8AA.