What to know about Columbia high school softball teams as postseason begins
The regular season has ended, and it's postseason time for Columbia high school softball teams.
Rock Bridge, Battle and Hickman will play in the Class 5 District 6 Tournament, seeking to advance to the Class 5 playoffs. Tolton will compete in Class 3 District 4 after playing teams a class above the majority of the season.
Here's what to know ahead of this week's district tournaments:
Rock Bridge
Regular-season record: 35-1
On a list of state championship favorites, Rock Bridge must be included. The Bruins eclipsed a school record for wins in a single season, beating out their 2020 season that ended in an undefeated state championship.
Cydney Fullerton, Abby Hay and Anna Christ have performed at all-state levels and are playing some of their best softball as the season reaches its most important stage. This doesn't even touch on players like Addie Morris, Lucy Sadewhite, Mya Hall, Bella Stephens and Kayla Mooney who have improved from last year to this year.
Even further, freshmen like Ava Bush have earned playing time, setting up for future success.
The Bruins are on a crash course with Blue Springs South in the district field. They are considered two of the best teams in the state, and the Jaguars handed Rock Bridge its only loss. Rock Bridge returned the favor by beating Blue Springs South twice.
Hickman
Regular-season record: 9-17
The Kewpies searched for an identity early on in the season. Instead, they fell into an eight-game losing streak to start the month of September.
That skid ended when Hickman sat at 3-11 overall. Ending the regular season with a 6-6 record in its remaining games is a testament to a difficult schedule but is also a sign the Kewpies were trending in the right direction before they transitioned into district play.
Hickman has a good mix of young talent to go with its upperclassmen. Seniors Lucy Hurtado and Adlen Baker, as well as junior Ella Grant, are some of the upperclassmen that help lead the team. Freshman Mylee McMichael also got a healthy amount of playing time during the season.
It's easy to write Hickman off with a record below .500, but the Kewpies have a chance to shake up the Class 5 District 6 Tournament if they can reach their peak.
Father Tolton
Regular-season record: 22-11
A 6-6 start this season never dissuaded Tolton, which lost only five more games across its final 21 contests.
That's thanks to the likes Sadie Sexauer, Madison Uptegrove, Katie Guinn and Ava Lawless. Montana Strobel has also burst onto the scene as a freshman, giving the present and future of the Trailblazers' softball scene something to pay close attention to.
The team has already seen a talent like that with Uptegrove, who was an all-state player as a sophomore. She committed to Missouri in September.
If there's anything that prepared Tolton for the district tournament, it's the 'Blazers' schedule.
Tolton played in the Rolla Tournament to end its regular season. The Trailblazers went 5-1 in that tournament against Class 5 and Class 4 teams with winning records, including 15-0 and 11-0 wins. Tolton is a Class 3 program. That should serve Taylor Bartlett's team well in the most critical moments.
Battle
Regular-season record: 13-14
The Spartans' year is a tale of two halves. The first half was defined by a 3-8 record where Battle was getting used to new leadership on the team.
Battle closed the regular season with a 10-6 record over its past 16 games (with one game still to go). Pitcher Ainsley Stubbs helped define the team's success, as three wins in the second half of the season have been by two runs or less.
But the offense was hard to stop when it was clicking. Of Battle's victories, eight were by seven runs or more, and the offense scored double-digit runs nine times.
Chelsea Gleba was one of the offensive leaders for Battle this season, picking up where she left off after her junior season last year. A young talent in freshman Brennan Johnson made plays as an underclassman, and other upperclassmen like Kinleigh Kite helped drive the team's success, too.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What to know about Columbia's softball teams as the postseason begins
