With seven returning starters coming from the North Platte softball team’s best season since 2015, the sky is the limit for the Lady Panthers this fall.
Wrapping up the 2021 season with a 19-9 record, North Platte rattled together more wins than the three prior seasons combined. The Lady Panthers crossed home plate 310 times, setting a school record for the most runs in a season.
Jaylin Burgess is moving from shortstop to outfield this year.
“We pounded the ball last year and scored over 300 runs in the year and we’ve got most of that back,” North Platte head softball coach Farrah Seckel said. “I think offensively, we are still going to be tough; we can still hit the ball hard and put it in play.”
The Lady Panthers had a deep and talented team in 2021, scoring as many as 26 runs on two separate occasions. In the Class 2 District 7 Semifinals, North Platte erased a seven-run deficit against Lathrop in the final three innings to take a one-run lead before ultimately losing 19-17.
“We were deep last year and it’s definitely an advantage for us this year because they already have that cohesive unit and you’re just looking to fill a couple of spots. We have some good freshmen who will come in and might get some time, but the rest of the upperclassmen will fill those spots if not.”
Senior Scarlett Slugantz and junior Courtney Dehn will lead the way for pitchers, while the freshman duo of Kate Wolfe and Gracie Williams are looking to be on the mound throughout the season. Slugantz missed the first half of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, but is healthy ahead of the North Platte Round Robin Tournament, which is the season opener on August 27.
“Our pitching is going to make a difference this year; the reason we had to score that many runs last year is because that was how we were going to win games. We didn’t have the pitching to keep the other team from hitting and scoring,” Seckel said.
The Lady Panthers have a large senior class, including Jaylin Burgess who was First-Team All-District, Second-Team All-Region and KCI Honorable Mention in her junior campaign. Burgess has played shortstop for North Platte the last three years, but will be switching positions this year.
“Jaylin was our starting shortstop last year but her heart is actually in the outfield and will fill a spot out there. We just haven’t had anybody who can play shortstop these last few years and now we do with the strong middle infielders that we have,” Seckel said.
From 2010 to 2015 the Lady Panthers were in the district championship every season, but have yet to make a return since. North Platte is hoping to change that when this postseason comes around.
“I told the girls at the beginning of the year that our goal is to make it to the championship game of districts and then win it. If we do everything the right way and all cylinders are firing, we should be able to win districts,” Seckel said.