Spring Valley Area
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FEATURING: St. Peter Saints, Le Sueur-Henderson Giants, Tri-City United Titans and Cleveland Clippers Le Sueur County News | St. Peter Herald Wednesday, April 10, 2019 • Thursday, April 11, 2019
St. Peter softball team shoots for state three-peat By PAT BECK
pbeck@stpeterherald.com
St. Peter Softball COACHES Head coach: Heidi Niemeyer 6th year as head coach, 19th year coaching softball in St. Peter Assistant coaches: Dani Roehrkasse – 3rd year at SPHS Tom Witty – 43nd year coaching; 22nd year at SPHS Amanda Rodning – 6th year coaching at SPHS RETURNING STARTERS “Senior captain Mackenzie Brey is just one of those players’” Niemeyer said. “She is determined to go out on the mound and give it her all. One of her biggest strengths is her no fear mentality. She thrives in those moments when everything is on the line. She has great speed and movement on her pitches and is one of the best fielding pitchers I have seen. Another key strength for Mackenzie is her experience. Her focus on softball for so many years really sets her apart. She is a strong leader on and off the field with great character who can successfully motivate her teammates. She broke her own season strikeout record last year at 108. She was also a member of the MN State All Tournament team in 2018. “McKenna Reese, a senior captain, was a surprising addition to our team last year as she rounded out our outfield. She covers a ton of ground in the outfield and makes some amazing catches because of her all in attitude. She was the leader in one of the best outfields we have
St. Peter pitcher Mackenzie Brey goes from first to third on a double by Ellie Johnson last season. (St. Peter Herald file photo)
had in a few years. She is fast on the base path and gets hits in clutch situations. “Junior captain Allie McCabe is the firecracker behind the plate. Her leadership on the field is paramount. She knows what play and pitch to call. She has an amazing pop behind the plate and can defend the bunt like none other I have coached. She controls the base runners well with her solid accurate through downs and does not allow many passed balls. She has a love for the game that is contagious. “Liv Stevens, a junior, walked into the role of third baseman and
backup pitcher as a sophomore last year and soon claimed the lead-off spot in our line up. She is a clutch hitter who also has good speed on the bases. She has a strong arm and good foot work on defense. She has a mean change up on the mound as well. She claimed a spot on the MN State All Tournament team last year as a sophomore and with this experience she is bound to do great things this season. “Junior Shelby Paul was another exciting player to watch grow into a pivotal outfielder and spot in the line up. She came up with some timely hits in the State Tournament
to gain a spot on the MN State All Tournament team.” MOVED ON Graduated letter winners are Olivia McCabe (playing softball at St. Ben’s), Xandra Zachman (playing softball at Gustavus Adolphus College), Ellie Johnson, Kayla Oeltjenbruns, Mara Johnson. 2018 SEASON OUTLOOK 1. Last year’s overall record for the Saints was 21-6. The Saints went 10-2 in the conference and 9-0 in the section. “We captured the blue ribbon for the second year in a row in the 2AA Section Tournament to advance to the MN State Class AA
“We can never count them out. They have a great program at LSH and they are always a great opponent. They have some very talented underclassmen that will be big parts of their success this year. TCU could potentially make a good section run, as well as Jordan, and Belle Plaine.” COMMENTS FROM THE COACH “We are very fortunate to have some quality leadership back this year. We did graduate some very exceptional young woman, but I am certain that this skilled, talented, experienced group we have stepping into this season will do everything they can to be competitive in our conference and our section. We will have to beat some very good up and coming teams this season to make it back to the state tournament, but we believe that the hard work in the off season and preseason will take us where we want to be. Our strength would have to be our team consistency. If one player is not on, someone else steps in and has a big game. We don’t just have one big play maker or hitter, everyone steps in at the right time to get the job done. The experience of playing in the big games on the big stage at least once and some of these girls twice, will be great motivators and confidence builders for our team as a whole. Our key to success will be to continue to work hard on our everyday skills and to strive to be better everyday.” Heidi Niemeyerhead coach
State Tournament where we were the runner up team going 2-1 in the tournament only losing to Maple Lake,” Niemeyer said. “The State Tournament was an unbelievable experience that showcased two well played games in the first two rounds with the semifinal game going into extra innings and the win coming within 13 minutes of the start of commencement for our five seniors. It was truly an unforgettable weekend as we set a St. Peter softball record as the runner-up at the State Reach Sports Editor Pat Beck at Tournament.” 931-8566 or follow him on Twitter. 2. “I believe that Le Sueur will be the team to beat,” Niemeyer said. com @SPHSportsPat.