Pair of softball squads take the field

The Hartville Lady Eagles’ softball team has a new coaching staff for the fall 2024 season who are focused on making the year a memorable one.
Coaches include Ashley Comstock, Jeff Palmer and Allexus Walker.
They are taking over for the departing coach, Andrew Doyle, who is the new high school principal in Climax Springs.
Information was provided by press time for Coach Palmer, who was a four-year starter in baseball at Evangel University after graduating from Hartville in 1999.
The staff will be getting senior leadership from Katia Todd (CF), who was the team’s top hitter last year.
She will also be hitting in the lead-off spot.
Joining her as a returning starter includes juniors Ella Fairchild (pitcher) and Brielle Kline (catcher) along with sophomores Sarah Palmer (IF) and Maddie Brown (SS).
“We have a strong group of underclassmen fighting for the remaining spots,” Coach Palmer noted. “It’s been fun to watch and has made practices highly competitive as they battle for these remaining positions.”
Offensively, the Lady Eagles are expected to be scrappy at the plate and are hoping to be a tough out.
“Our goal is to limit strikeouts as they battle for these remaining positions,” Coach Palmer noted.
Defensively, the team will need to make the routine play and not beat themselves with errors like they have in some past contests.
On the mound, Fairchild is a returning three-year starter, who had a strong spring when the Lady Eagles finished 10-2 overall after going 15-14 in the fall.
Other pitchers include Sarah Palmer, sophomore Claire Dickinson and freshman Saige Petty.
After competing in the 30th Annual Morrisville Tournament just after press time, the Lady Eagles are set to host Aurora on Sep. 5 at 4:30 p.m.
They will travel to Norwood on Sep. 12 for a Summit Conference match-up with the Lady Pirates at 4:30 p.m.