By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com
CANTON – In 2021 the Canton/Galva softball program had a new coach and suffered too many close game losses, something they look to improve on in 2022 as they pick up additional players with a co-op agreement for girls at Elyria Christian School.
Lady Eagle head coach Reann Buchanan went 8-11 in her first season at the helm and knows that she must replace two valuable starters in catcher Emily Peterson and shortstop Madison Leach.
“We had half of the team get at least one home run during the season,” pointed out Coach Buchanan looking back at the 2021 season. “We run ruled Little River and our team dynamic improved as the season went on. Our two lowlights for 2021 were the one-run loss to Remington and then our loss to Moundridge in regionals.”
The Lady Eagles do return four key players led by senior Gracie Kidd who will play catcher, third base, and pitch. Kidd has already signed to play softball in 2023 for Tabor College.
Other key returnees will be senior Taygen O’Hara, a first baseman/pitcher, senior outfielder Nicole Miller and junior shortstop/pitcher Brecken Pearson.
An addition her returnees, Coach Buchanan is looking forward to seeing how she will blend in with the current roster the additions coming in from Elyria Christian School in their new co-op agreement. Two Elyria ladies that already have her attention are Julia Allen and Raegan Hawkinson, as she anxious to see how they will fit in.
Buchanan concluded her reflections on the upcoming season by saying, “Our team will be very flexible with playing different positions and we will have four pitchers that can throw multiple pitches. One weakness we need to continue working on will be our batting and speed. I am looking forward to the season as we have a talented group of girls with a ton of potential. We will also have strong leadership with our seniors.”
The 2022 season will begin with a pair of road trips as the Lady Eagles travel to Remington on Tuesday, March 29 and then to Little River on Thursday, March 31.
(William is a free-lance writer covering McPherson County Activities – he can be reached at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)