The Warrenton Lady Warriors have their sights set on winning their fourth consecutive conference crown and another district title.
The Lady Warriors finished last season 18-11 and advanced to the state tournament. This year, they have high hopes again despite losing a few key contributors.
“We lost three big, key players last year,” Warrenton head coach Chad Berrey said. “Kiersten Andersen, Kathryn McChristy, Kaylin Haas. And those are huge names to replace. So we’re kind of playing the Billy Beane mentality. We’re going to piece together the lineup to match what we lost and we think we can uphold the success we had last year.”
Junior Kylie Witthaus returns as the team’s main pitcher this season. Witthaus was one of two main starting pitchers for Warrenton last season. Witthaus finished last season with a 2.07 ERA in 74 1/3 innings. She threw eight complete games in 12 starts. Berrey expects Witthaus to throw about 80% of the team’s innings this season.
“She shared pretty much 50% of the time last year with Kathryn McChristy,” Berrey said. “So she’ll be taking the bulk of the innings this year. We will be wearing her out but she’s been conditioning.”
The Lady Warriors will be led on the diamond by senior Mackenzie Hurst. She is the lone senior on the team this season. Hurst finished last season with a .360 batting average and .719 slugging percentage.
“We’re looking for her to be the program captain,” Berrey said. “Kind of the coach on the field. She’s very mature for her age. So she will be probably our top hitter, our top defender, most experienced, coach on the field. There’s no downside to Mackenzie.”
The Lady Warriors also return multiple starters on the infield, including Kiera Daniel at shortstop and Madison Hoelscher behind the plate. They will have three new starting outfielders this season.
Berrey expects four freshmen to contribute this season. Audrey Lanzone will play multiple positions, including outfield, infield and catcher. Makayla Witthaus will see time at center field and catcher. Caydynce Haverfield will play first base and might see some time at third base. Briana Menne will help fill innings on the mound. Berrey also expects newcomer Morgan Marschel to contribute on the basepaths with her speed.
Berrey touted the depth of the team this season. They have 20 players on the roster this season after only having 14 on the roster last season. They will be able to field a junior varsity team this season, which is huge for the program’s development.
While Berrey prefers to play the same nine players on the diamond game in and game out, this year’s team will alter his approach. The team’s defensive lineup may change from game to game. Berrey anticipates the team’s batting lineup to remain consistent over the course of the season.
“On defense, it’s going to be a puzzle based on the opponent we play,” Berrey said. “We have a lot of freshmen that play in different spots and who knows who will just shine that day and we need them in a different spot. And we talked to the girls from our first day of tryouts that you’re not a certain position, you’re a softball player so learn everywhere.”
Berrey said the players’ roles will be sorted out over the course of the season. When the district tournament begins, the best players will take the field as the Lady Warriors look to repeat as district champions and advance through the state tournament.
“As we go through the season, girls will solidify their position,” Berrey said. “They’ll solidify their spot in the order. And when it comes to postseason in October, it’s not rec ball. I’m going to play my best nine. I’m going to throw my hottest pitcher against whatever team. If we are playing the reigning state champion team or we’re playing the last seed in districts, I’m going to throw and play my best nine from the first inning until we either win state or get knocked out in districts.”
Warrenton competed in a Jamboree last week. They will begin the season Monday at home against Elsberry. First pitch is slated for 4:15 p.m.