Wright City’s 11-1 loss in the Class 3 District 3 championship game on October 21 brought with it the usual mixed bag of emotions.
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Wright City’s 11-1 loss in the Class 3 District 3 championship game on October 21 brought with it the usual mixed bag of emotions.
Sure, it was sad to see a season, and for the Wildcats’ seniors, a high school career, come to an end.
More than that, though, the team felt happy about the growth shown this season and the promise of even bigger things to come. For her part, pitcher/shortstop Lorelai Kellner is excited for the promise of what’s to come.
“I feel like we could be at this same spot next year with our incoming (freshmen),” Kellner said. “They’re a good group of girls and I see big potential coming. We’re going to work on our defense and hitting against faster pitching headed into next year.”
There should be plenty of chance for returning players to see just what they can do with a year more of high school under their collective belts.
That's because the team’s top three hitters and four of the top five, all told, should return next season.
Wright City (15-14) should welcome back Kellner, catcher Harper Martin, first baseman Haley Elsenrath and infielder/outfielder Emma Clubb, among others.
Martin led the team in hitting (.516) and triples (11). She also added 10 doubles and 32 RBI. Kellner was a close second in hitting (.512) while also adding a 1.012 slugging percentage and team highs in doubles (15), home runs (eight) and RBI (42). Elsenrath also hit .405 with three doubles and 17 RBI.
As a team, Wright City enjoyed separate win streaks of seven and four games.
Wright City Head Coach Fred Ross said that even though pitcher Ava Swearingen and outfielder Anna Klekamp will be moving on after graduation, their experience and leadership have been invaluable.
“It’s been a while, so we’re happy with this group,” Ross said. “We only lose two seniors. They’re going to be deeply missed for their efforts here. Hopefully, though, we can replace them and have some of these other girls step up next year.”
Even though she played her last inning in a Wildcats uniform, Klekamp said she will be watching with vested interest to see what the Wildcats accomplish next year and beyond.
She said this season has hopefully built a strong foundation for the program.
“I think their future is bright and they have a really good shot now that they know what it takes to get here,” Klekamp said. “They have a good group of seniors next year with some talented underclassmen and even the eighth graders (coming in should be talented).”
