Last year, the Lady Tigers slugged a school record 26 home runs. Twenty-one of them belonged to players who’ll be back in the lineup this year. That’s just a taste of what’s in store for the Republic softball team in 2015.
Shortstop Kami Holt led the team last year with 11 homers, while catcher Emily Hall hit seven. Those two will provide a potent 1-2 punch in the middle of the order for the Lady Tigers, with senior Lauren Strobel providing added power.
Senior Caty Eby will give the Lady Tigers speed on the base paths, and will also move into the outfield, where she played as a sophomore. Last year, she shifted to first base to fill a hole in the defense.
Ally McAtee, Sydney Phillips, Marlee Scroggins, and Ally Stolte are among the newcomers who figure to contribute.
In the middle of it all is pitcher Rachel Rook, who returns for her junior season with one of the best fastballs in southwest Missouri–it’s 2-3 miles per hour faster than last year–along with a growing repertoire of other pitches.
“I’ve been working on a drop ball, and it’s been going really well,” she says. “I’ve been working on perfecting my other pitches and making them more accurate.”
Rook says having senior Emily Hall behind the plate also helps make her a better pitcher.