Lady Marshals take roar out of Tigers

By Rick Burres
Tribune-Courier Sports Reporter
Rburres@tribunecourier.com

DRAFFENVILLE – They don’t give up many runs.

The Lady Marshals (15-0) are riding a hot streak.

They defeated Murray (6-8) Thursday 10-0 in the fifth inning when the mercy rule ended the game.

MCHS head softball coach Jennifer Burnham said the team was much stronger offensively this year than it was last year.

“We had a very good defensive team last year as well but we were not as strong hitting,” Burnham said.

“We had a great senior pitcher last year.”

“ Randy Butler kept everybody to one or two runs but we were not able to score as much last year,” Burnham said.

Burnham thinks a year’s worth of maturity is the difference in the Lady Marshals’ offensive game.

“These are pretty much the same kids we’ve had for the last three years,” Burnham said.

“The girls just have a lot more experience and a lot more at bats.”

MCHS assistant coach Patricia Greer said the girls are much stronger physically this year.

Despite the lack of a senior pitcher the Marshals’ pitching roster is deep and offers a diversity of talent.

Sophmore Stephanie Helton throws hard and fast.

Junior Jessi Phelps has great control and can put the ball where she wants it.

“Jessi can throw it all,” Burnham said.

“She can throw a curve ball, a screw ball, a drop ball, a rise ball and a change-up.”

“We have lots of options with Jessi to keep batters off balance,” Burnham said.

Then there is the eigth- grader Emily Jenkins who, although young, throws a mean fast ball.

“Emily is young and she has speed on the ball but she is still learning how to place it,” Greer said.

“She is getting great experience right now and I look for her to be very dominant later,” Burnham said.

Burnham said she uses the pitching diversity as a tool to keep Marshall County’s opponents at bay.

Apperently the strategy is working.

The Lady Marshals have scored a total of 122 runs so far this year and given only 46 to their opponents.

The offensive story starts with stand-out Jordan Gilland who has a .500 batting average with 52 appearences at the plate.

She’s not the only Marshal swinging a hot stick.

Buzz Ray has had 49 at- bats so far this season and posts a .467 average.

Anna Maziarka, Stephanie Helton, Ashley Denfip and Landon Lovett all have averages above .300 with a similar number of trips to the batter’s box.

“Our highest batting average last year was in the two hundreds for the total year,” Burnham said.

“This is amazing. It’s a huge transformation for us at the plate.”

“A lot of our line-up has taken time in the off-season to go to private instruction to work on their own,” Burnham said.

“They really dedicate their time to get better.”

The Marshals’ post season begins the week of May 18 and there are about 10 games left on the schedule for regular season play.

There are still two district games left in the season and Burnham wants the team to stay focused.

“We have not seen Heath yet, and they are tops in the region. We also have not played Reidland, and they are another top contender in the region,” Burnham said.

Said Burnham, “It doesn’t matter what we are ranked today if we loose tomorrow.”