Louisburg softball saw growth despite difficult season

Louisburg senior Jenna Terry tries to turn a double play during the Lady Cats’ May 11 game against Paola at Lewis-Young Park.

Louisburg’s Senior Night softball games against Paola back on May 11 was an emotional one for many reasons.

Not only did the Lady Cats have to say goodbye to their three seniors – Brooklyn Diederich, Maggie Ming and Jenna Terry — but they also had to say farewell to their 2021 season a little prematurely to what they hoped.

Louisburg’s 21-3 and 20-5 losses to the Panthers ended the Lady Cats’ season with a 1-19 record as they were not able to qualify for the Class 4A regional tournament.

In a season that didn’t feature many wins,  the Lady Cats grew throughout the season and it was something head coach Nick Chapman believes is a testament to his three seniors in keeping the team together and staying positive.

“Our older girls were great leaders in the effort they gave and what they put into the program,” Chapman said. “I’m sad to see our three seniors leave, but I know each of them are going to do great things in the future. 

“This year taught me a lot about being a coach. I’m not perfect by any means, but my goal is that we all learned something this season and want to be better and for this program to be successful.”

In the first game against Paola, the Lady Cats scored three runs on six hits. Diederich and Mia Wilson each recorded a double, while Wilson and Jenna Cauthon both had RBI hits.

Izzy Moreland, Emily Gephart and Ming also had hits in the opener.

In the nightcap, the Lady Cats had a 5-4 lead going into the fourth inning, but Paola responded with four runs in the fourth and fifth innings and ended with an 8-run seventh.

Cauthon led the way offensively with two hits, a double and 2 RBIs and Diederich also finished with two hits. Moreland and Gephart also had RBI singles in the loss.

Despite the rough ending to the season, Chapman liked the improvements that his team made, especially with a young roster.

“I think we got better as the season went on,” Chapman said. “Our record doesn’t show the growth we made as a team. We had five freshmen and two sophomores on varsity to end the year. The rest were made up by a junior and our three seniors. 

“Our younger girls really stepped up and a couple of them led the team in hitting. The future is very bright if we can continue to grow and get better over the summer and throughout next year leading up to the start of the season. We are going to find consistency in how we play and play well. Louisburg softball will be up there with the big dogs and consistently competing for championships, year after year.”