West Platte junior Emma Downing is a returning starter.
Since 2015, the West Platte softball team has only one postseason victory and has been above .500 twice but is entering a new era with a first-year head coach and nearly half the starting lineup being replaced.
Holly Linter is taking over the program that lost a talented senior class and has had exactly 11 wins in three of the last four years. After going 14-7 in 2021 and 11-10 in 2022, the Lady Blue Jays have a chance to have three consecutive winning seasons following six straight seasons at .500 or below.
“We have a solid group of girls who have been working hard to achieve success this season,” Linter said. “We have young players who are looking at stepping in and making a huge impact in our lineup.”
Senior infielders Remi McColley and Peyton Edmonds will be joined by juniors Emma Downing and Hailey Deffenbaugh as returning starters. Sophie Grier is a returning all-district outfielder following an impressive freshman campaign.
“Our biggest offensive threats are Remi McColley, Sophie Grier, Emma Downing, Hailey Deffenbaugh and Addy Hughes. These girls will make up the first half of the lineup and are looking to get on base and get RBIs,” Litner said.
West Platte hasn’t had much postseason success, not having a win in districts since 2016. The Lady Blue Jays have been a higher seed in the Class 2 District 7 Tournament in each of the last three years, being as high as the No. 4 seed last year, and fell short in the first round each time.
West Platte lost its top pitcher from last season due to graduation and will be looking at Downing and Grier taking the mound. Linter told the Platte County Citizen that the keys to success are solid defense to keep in the game, great pitcher-catcher battery, and timely hitting.