The Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds look to rely on a returning infield to improve on last season ’ s 4-10 record . Leading the charge for Coach Rick Smith ’ s crew is three-time All-Conference shortstop Audrey Mosely . Mosely anchors the defense while providing a pop at the plate for the Lady Greyhound offense . Also returning is the entire Marmaduke infield . First baseman Sara Rolland , 2nd baseman Miranda Bear , and third baseman Shelby Hensley are all returning for their senior season looking to improve their game to lead the Lady Greyhounds . Fellow senior Chancey Henry will handle catching duties and provide a spark in the lineup . Freshman Callie Newberry will step into the circle to complete the battery . The newcomer is extremely talented , so expectations are high this season . A talented pitcher and core group of senior returners have the Lady Greyhounds poised to make some noise in the tough 2A-3 conference . Look for Marmaduke to be in the mix for a spot in the regional tournament .
The Harrisburg Lady Hornets graduated several off of last season ’ s 6-12 team . Coach Christy Buchanan is excited to see her young bunch get to work . “ My girls are hard workers . I have a young team with lots of work to do ! Losing five starters last season is going to be tough , but I have girls working hard to earn a spot on the field ,” Buchanan said . With several of those losses last year being close , the Lady Hornets could make a big turnaround . Four starters return led by Hawlee Morris and Hannah Mross . Sophomore Morris started every game in the circle last year for Harrisburg . She has put in a lot of work this offseason , and Coach Buchanan is excited to see her growth . Fellow sophomore Mross will catch Morris behind the plate . Mross hit an amazing . 600 last season with an . 733 on base percentage . Even as a freshman , she took on the role of leader and will continue to do so this season . Several new athletes will be in the lineup which shows their youth and inexperience . Even with Harrisburg ’ s youth , look for the Lady Hornets to be in the mix for one of the final regional spots in the 3A-3 .
The Harrisburg Hornets had an up and down season a year ago finishing 15-10 and 8-8 in the tough 3A-3 conference . The Hornets had success against almost all of the teams in the league , and were in the games they didn ’ t win . With several starters returning , quality pitching depth , and a new look conference , Coach Dustin Williams and his team are hoping to get over that hump and earn a berth to the regional tournament . The whole infield returns intact from last season . Trey Davis will be behind the plate handling the pitching staff , while Caleb Farmer and Trey Blackwood will man the corners . Farmer will anchor down at first , Blackwood will be at the hot corner at third base . Easton Gray and Brylan Honeycutt will be up the middle with Gray at second and Honeycutt at shortstop . Drake Masters , Corbin Grayson , and Max Tracy will roam the outfield for Harrisburg . Several of these guys will make up the pitching staff for the Hornets as well . The possible starting rotation looks to be Brylan Hoeycutt , Trey Blackwood , Caleb Farmer , and Easton Gray . Max Tracy , Drake Masters , Conner Henderson , and Axel Heeb look to get some relief innings adding depth to the staff . Heeb is a sophomore that should see more time this season , along with junior Rylan Howton and a couple of freshmen . Coach Williams says the keys to the Hornets ’ season is key situational hitting and playing mistake free baseball by limiting errors and making routine plays . A lot of familiar faces will be at the top of the 3A-3 Conference , but with loads of experience and depth on the mound , look for the Harrisburg Hornets to be right in the middle of the conference race .