Youthful Cardinals seek jump in wins

The Newton softball team has a lot of core players back from last year’s roster. But the Cardinals will be light on depth and the roster features plenty of youth and inexperience.

That doesn’t mean head softball coach Kory Leiker’s goals and expectations have changed.

“The goals never change. Twenty wins is always the goal,” Leiker said. “We fell short of that goal last year. We’ll see what happens this year. I will never move backward. We are always moving forward. I think we’ll be able to compete.”

The roster features 20 players, no seniors, five juniors and four eighth-graders. Leiker said he expects 11-12 players will see regular varsity action. The remaining players will get experience at the JV level.

“Our depth is really shy. We don’t have two or three girls sitting on the bench ready to play varsity this year,” Leiker said. “I don’t want to throw in young players just to throw them into the wolves.

“We’ll probably go a pretty solid 11-12. The rest of them will play JV or they could be courtesy runners or pinch runners.”

The top returners are juniors Kadance Ahn, Hailey Sumpter and Peyton Durr, sophomores Chloe Swank and Katelyn Lambert and freshmen Mack Sims and Sloan Brodersen.

The program graduated six seniors who logged at least 20 starts each last summer.

Sumpter is back and takes over No. 1 pitching duties. She started 13 games in the circle last season, finished 5-9 and had an earned run average of 3.73 in 101 1/3 innings. She also struck out 64 and walked only 14.

At the plate, Sumpter batted .281 with 12 RBIs and seven walks. She had a fielding percentage of .952.

Ahn is back at shortstop but will miss the first six games of the season. She batted .333 last year and her .486 on-base percentage led the squad. She also had a team-best 15 walks, was hit by nine pitches and tallied 19 runs, 11 RBIs, four doubles and 10 stolen bases.

Sims will play shortstop in Ahn’s absence but is the primary center fielder when the Cardinals’ lineup is full strength.

Sims led Newton with a .382 batting average, 20 runs, 39 hits, five doubles, 17 steals and 46 total bases as an eighth-grader last season. Her .462 OBP and 14 walks were second to Ahn. Her fielding percentage was .932 and she totaled 17 RBIs.

Swank hit .275 and led the team with five doubles. She also had 15 RBIs and her fielding percentage was .974.

Brodersen scored 13 runs, had five RBIs, drew eight walks and stole three bases. Lambert scored nine runs, drove in four, walked five times and stole six bases.

Sims and Ahn both started 32 games last season, while Swank and Brodersen started at least 20.

Leiker said Sumpter will play first base when she’s not pitching. When she’s not in the circle, sophomore Tallyn Seitz, freshman Ava Williams or Brodersen will be.

Seitz will start the season as the No. 2 pitcher. Leiker expects Sumpter to carry the load.

“We have a good core group back, but they’re just young,” Leiker said. “I think we’ll be fine. There have just been some growing pains this first week.”

Swank and Durr are the team’s two catchers. Both will play third base when they are not behind the plate.

Brodersen is expected to play mostly at second base, while Williams, sophomore Paige Benson and freshman Viana Vasseau are competing for innings at first base.

Sims and Lambert are expected to play mostly in the outfield. Benson, junior Haylie Ryan and eighth-grader Brooklynn Britton are competing for a job in right field. Britton also could see time at second base.

“We are young for sure. We have lots of inexperience,” Leiker said. “They need more energy.”

The Cardinals batted .255 last season but had an OBP of .347. Newton scored 4.7 runs per game, struck out 5.2 times per contest, stole 74 bases and had a fielding percentage of .900. The team ERA was 3.72.

“When we get our full team here, I think we’ll have a pretty solid lineup,” Leiker said. “I have been pleased with the girls who are returning. The core players are looking good.

“We have to get better at base running though. We can’t give away free outs.”

Eric Vander Velden returns as the junior varsity coach and Mike Butler is back as a varsity assistant coach. The new pitching coach is Newton alum Peyton Maher.

The Cardinals open the season against Grand View Christian at 7:30 p.m. on May 22 in Des Moines.