Softball team looks to youth for success
By JENNIFER WILSON
News editor
If the Hillsboro High School girls' basketball team was led by elderstateswomen, then the HHS softball squad is the exact opposite.
Just five seniors are on the 2002 Lady Trojan softball team this spring — five girls out of 29, said Head Coach Carolyn Long.
The team is definitely freshman-heavy this year, with 15 of the youngsters on the squad. They'll also have four sophomores and five juniors.
Four letter-winners return from last year's team, which went 17-5: Pitcher Holly Lindsay, catcher Julie Wall, first baseman Emily Donahue, and outfielder Robyn Penner. All four are seniors.
"That gives us a pretty strong nucleus," Long said.
Last year, Hillsboro fell to Southeast of Saline at the regional tournament. This year is the school's fifth year to field a team. Carolyn Long has been with the team since its very beginning.
The strong pitching-catching duo of Lindsay and Wall is a strong asset for the Lady Trojans, Long said.
"Pitching is the key," she said. "That's a strength for us."
Donahue has also proved to be a rock in the first base spot, earning postseason honors for her last four years of play, Long said.
But with just those four spots already set in the lineup, the rest of the positions are still open, Long said. It's made the girls compete that much harder during practice for those spots.
Backing up Lindsay on the mound will be April Funk, a junior who's pitched well during her time on the junior varsity team. In all, five girls are preparing for the pitcher's spot, Long said.
Although it's only year five for this Hillsboro softball program, they face some stiff MCAA competition this year. Schools such as Marion, Nickerson, Haven, and Collegiate are always tough contests, Long said.
But the ultimate goal is state.
"It's always the team's goal to make it past regional — especially for the seniors," she said.
The girls begin their season tonight at Marion.
