The Montgomery County softball team added a new tournament to its schedule this fall.

On Sept. 2, the Wildcats got to play in the Monroe City Tournament, where they went up against teams from the northern part of the state. It turned out to be a successful trip for the Wildcats as they finished 3-0, including a 7-5 victory over Brookfield in the championship game, to win the eight-team tournament. It was the first time since 2018 MCHS captured a tournament title.

“It was amazing because we were all in the right mindset and we did what needed to be done,” MCHS sophomore catcher Dylan Topel said. “I was proud of all of us because we did really well in that tournament.”

The Monroe City championship helped give the Wildcats a boost of confidence for the rest of the season. MCHS finished with a school-record 18 victories, surpassing the old mark of 17 that was set in Audra Heimer’s first year as head coach in 2015. The team also doubled its win total of nine from 2022.

“This year, everybody got along,” Topel said. “We’re very loud in the dugout. We just had fun. We always bring each other up. Everybody worked for their spot. If you didn’t do as much as the other person did, you would not have your spot.”

The Wildcats’ historic season ended on a heartbreaking note on Oct. 16, losing to Louisiana 17-6 in six innings in a Class 2, District 4 semifinal game at Kiwanis Fields.

MCHS split its first two games of the season before going on a six-game winning streak, including the three wins at the Monroe City tournament. The Wildcats also had a five-game winning streak that included a 9-8 victory over North Callaway at home that clinched them a winning season in Eastern Missouri Conference play. They finished 6-3 in league play.

Offense was a key factor in the Wildcats’ successful season. They scored 10 or more runs nine times and had five players who hit over .300. Junior Aliviah Fischer hit .535 with six home runs and 37 RBIs, freshman Reese Hill batted .527 with six home runs and 36 RBIs and senior El Reagan hit .383 with 18 RBIs. All three players were named to the all-conference, all-district and all-region teams.

Another player who earned all-conference, all-district and all-region honors was senior Maddy Queathem, who drove in 17 runs and hit .295. Topel and freshmen Sam Turner and Anna Klekamp were named to the all-district team.

Heimer said Reagan and Queathem will be missed. They played with the softball program all four years and have a combined six all-conference awards.

“Maddie and El have done a phenomenal job the last four years,” Heimer said. “El had her best year yet and Maddie was so versatile that she could play so many different positions.”

Hill did most of the pitching this season, throwing 115 innings and striking out 114 batters. She threw a 2-0 shutout over Community R-6 on Oct. 2. She earned first-team all-conference pitching honors.

Sophomores Gracie Cobb, Josy Eversmeyer and Skylar Bethmann and freshman Jillian Weekley also played varsity for the Wildcats.
MCHS finished with its second winning season in three years this fall.

Heimer said she already has high hopes for her 2024 team since it will be returning seven starting players.

“I’m looking forward to next year because I love softball,” Heimer said. “It’s my favorite sport.”

The Montgomery County Middle School softball team finished 5-9 this fall. The players were eighth-graders Brooke Thomas, Sullee Falloon, Shannon Hall, Megan Blackstock, Zoey Ryan, Audrey Waldren, Emma Rodgers and Kenley Wessel and seventh-graders Addi Cannon, Trinity Brown, Finley Kent, Aurora Gibson, Abigail Knoepflein, Marleigh Gildehaus, Jordan Finke and Emma Gruenefeld. The Wildcats had 12 girls who played softball for the first time at the middle school level.

“It was a learning experience for most of the girls on the team,” MCMS coach Dustin Figg said. “We were able to pull off a few wins during the season. We had a couple different girls get to pitch multiple games. We finally had some consistent hitting at the end of the season that led to a couple wins to end the season.”