Co-op softball in search of more offense in 2024
By Nathaniel Underwood
Despite the recent chill in the air, the Colby- Abbotsford softball team is still managing to get a practice or two outside before the opening of their 2024 season, a luxury that sometimes is not afforded this early in the year. With their starting roster still largely intact from the prior season, the co-op will be looking to capitalize on that experience.
They will do so under the direction of new head coach Al Kniefl, who will take over for Glen Orsburn at the helm of the team. Kniefl, who has been with the team as an assistant coach for four years, expects the transition to be a relatively smooth one.
“The seniors here, they were all freshmen when I came into the program,” he said. “With that in mind, it makes the transition pretty easy for the fact that we already know each other well and of course, we have a bigger junior class that I’ve worked with too. They’re excited and hopefully we can put some more wins in the win column.”
The Colby-Abby club finished 4-10 last season, going 4-8 in conference games to finish fifth in the Cloverbelt-East. As they will be looking to improve on that record in the upcoming season, Kniefl says that it will start by making some adjustments in the
See C-A SOFTBALL/ Page 16
2024 COLBY-ABBY SOFTBALL - The 2024 softball team, pictured above starting in the back row left to right are assistant coach Austin Depner, Audrey Fleischmann, Harrison Schmitt, Neveah Treankler, Tatum Bargender, Kylie Orth, and Torrance Bloome. In the front row, left to right are head coach Al Kneifl, assistant coach Cassidy Huber, Elizabeth Perez, McKinley Klabon, Lucia Perez, Halie VanLuven, Josie Higley, and Ali Ribeiro Da Mata. Not pictured is Hannah Brehm.
STAFF PHOTO/NATHANIEL UNDERWOOD C-A softball preview
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batter’s box.
Whether it is through utilizing more of the athleticism on the roster or being more patient, generating more runs will be key to finding more success this season. While the co-op saw improvements in the field last year, Colby-Abby was held to four or fewer runs in seven of their eight conference losses last season and were shutout in their opening playoff game against Lakeland.
“We’re working on a lot more on it this year,” Kniefl said, referring to the team’s offense. “We were in some close games, we would be in it for three, four innings and then have that one bad inning and couldn’t get back in it. Typically we struggle at swinging at bad pitches and so we are focusing on that and a bit more on bunting if it presents itself. We talk about how it doesn’t matter how you get on first base, on-base percentage is huge because you can’t score a run unless you are on the base. If you’re that girl that’s quick, we’re going to take advantage of your speed and we have two or three girls that have that speed to bunt for a base hit.”
“We are also looking to get some more steals in there,” he added. “The games where the girls were the most excited and having the most fun were the games where they’re able to put the defense at a disadvantage and steal bases and a lot of good things happen from that point on.”
Luckily the co-op will have plenty of prior varsity experience to draw from to try to make those adjustments.
Junior Tatum Bargender will provide the co-op with stability on the mound. Bargender has served as Colby-Abby’s primary starting pitcher over the last two seasons and earned second team all-conference honors in 2023.
Last year’s all-conference honorable mention Harrison Schmitt will also return to a lineup filled with returners. Senior catcher McKinley Klabon will once again be the co-op’s starting backstop and senior center fielder Kylie Orth will anchor Colby-Abby’s defense in the outfield. Fellow seniors Torrance Bloome and Josie Higley will also be back, as will juniors Neveah Treankler, Halie VanLuven, and Lucia Perez.
Incoming freshman Audrey Fleischmann will likely slot in somewhere on the infield and fellow first-year Elizabeth Perez will provide some additional depth.
Injuries proved problematic for the squad last season, and while they have a few more options in 2024, depth could once again be a challenge that the co-op will have to face. Finding someone who can potentially spell Bargender on the mound is one such obstacle.
“Right now, we are looking for that backup,” Kniefl said. “Right now, we’d most likely bring Kylie Orth in because she’s done some pitching. But last night in the gym, we had a bunch of girls throwing pitches, just to see if there is someone who looks like they’ve got something to work off of, so we’re working on that.”
While having 13 players is enough to field a team and have some insurance, Kniefl would like to see a renewed interest in the program. Part of that starts with keeping younger players engaged with the sport, which is why the team is looking to have a special practice where youth players can play with the varsity squad.
When looking at this season, however, Kniefl says that the players on the team have the tools to be competitive. Capitalizing on those opportunities will be key.
“We’ve had some close games, and our goal is if we can continue to be competitive all the way through,” he said. “Nobody is going to have a perfect game, but whoever has the least amount of errors is going to probably come out on top.”
Colby-Abby’s season will start on Thursday, March 28 when they travel to Auburndale for a non-conference matchup with the Eagles. They will then host Regis for their first home game of the season on Monday, April 8. The co-op did not play against either team last season. Both games are to start at 4:45 p.m.
