This year the softball team faced a lot of obstacles that have helped them grow as a program. The Spartans faced teams such as cross-town rivals Rock Bridge, Hickman, and Jeff City, ending with a .500 record.

This year the softball team has had a lot to live up to after last year’s season, which tied the school’s record for most wins in a season, going 18-11. Seniors Lauren Martin, Ainsley Stubbs, and Chelsea Gleba all have made impacts on this year’s team and are leaving behind a legacy. 

“As seniors, we’ve been able to help people and implement things that we have learned from past seasons and impact our teammates for the better,” Stubbs said. 

Lauren Martin, Ainsley Stubbs, and Chelsea Gleba all were major key points to this team’s season, not only with experience on the field but with leadership. Martin was a key figure for the Spartans on the base path, tying former player Eliyah McCarthy’s record of 14 stolen bases in a season. Gleba contributed to the team not only on offense, holding the record for home runs and runs scored in program history, but on defense as centerfield, making game saving plays. Stubbs led the team to many victories, pitching 25 out of 29 games for the Spartans. Not only did Stubbs make an impact on the mound, ranking 4th in the program’s history for strikeouts and having 192 this season out of 151 innings pitched, but on the offensive end, ranking 6th in RBI’s and doubles. 

This season the Spartans had the closest scoring game with cross-town rival, Rock Bridge, in 3 years, losing 6-1. This year Rock Bridge softball is ranked #1 in the state, and #6 in the nation. 

“We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles this season and a lot of personal growth has been made and become a whole new team from the summer,” Gleba said.

 The Spartans also played some great games against Hickman, winning 4-2, and beating Jeff City 2-1. The Spartans’ win over Eldon secured them their 10th on the road win for the season. This team has had a lot of growth this season, starting with a 1-5 record, and finishing this season 14-14, surprising teams that they weren’t expected to hang with. 

“This season we’ve grown a lot as a team and individually there’s been lots of growth between people and skill set or fundamentals,” Martin said. 

The Spartans were seeded 6th in this year’s district with teams like Rock Bridge and Blue Springs South, ranking #1 and #2 in the state. Being seeded 6th matched the Spartans up to play the 3rd seed, Blue Springs, in the first round of the Class 5 District 6 tournament.

 “Some key things for us with our placement were our game play against opponents, our record, games against other teams in the district,” Caine said. 

The Spartans played their last game of the season on October 12, against the Blue Springs Wildcats, losing 12-0. While this may come as an upset to many, the Spartans have chosen to take this season and grow on it for next year. Seniors Chelsea Gleba, Ainsley Stubbs, and Lauren Martin will all be remembered for their hard work and dedication to the Spartans’ softball program.