Comets lead small school softball team

The 2022 softball season was a wild one, as the Union coverage area navigated several teams who were on the bubble for conference titles, and eventually state tournament qualification.

Among the small schools, Cardinal and Highland were two of the best. Both teams made runs in the postseason, with the Comets coming one game short of the state tournament and the Huskies losing in the regional semifinals to the eventual state champions.

Cardinal and Highland were the two best represented teams on the 2022 All-Union list. The Comets had five names on the list, with the Huskies getting three. Columbus had two, including the captain. Mid-Prairie landed a pair, and both Winfield-Mount Union and Van Buren County earned a spot.

COACH: Sabrina Morrison, Cardinal

Morrison’s Cardinal squad has risen from a team filled with young talent a couple of years ago to one of the most dangerous teams in Class 2A.

The Comets went 22-13 overall and 8-4 in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division. Cardinal made appearances in the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Top-15 poll, and once again threatened for a spot in Fort Dodge.

For the second time in as many years, the Comets were defeated just one game before the state tournament. After knocking off Mediapolis and Durant in the Class 2A Region 7 tournament, the Comets fell 2-0 in the championship against Louisa-Muscatine.

Although the Comets lose three valuable seniors from their everyday roster, Morrison’s squad will be a force to be reckoned with when the summer rolls back around in 2023.

CAPTAIN: Lily Coil, freshman, Columbus

In an area stacked with young talent, nobody could quite keep up to the eye-popping season Columbus’ freshman standout put together in 2022.

Coil finished the year with a .571 batting average and a .645 on base percentage, making her one of the toughest outs in the state of Iowa.

Coil led the Wildcats with 12 doubles and seven triples, and also paced the squad with 21 RBIs. On the bases, she stole a ridiculous 35 bases in 37 attempts. She also hit one home run.

Coil was also one of the top Union area players in the pitcher’s circle. She finished the year 5-6 with a 2.46 ERA and 84 strikeouts.

PITCHER: Nicoa McClure, sophomore, Cardinal

A big reason why the Comets were so tough in 2022, McClure was a tough one to hit in 2022.

The sophomore ace went 17-11 for the Comets. She finished the season with a 2.21 ERA, and struck out 141 batters.

McClure wasn’t too bad at the plate, either. She hit .333 with nine doubles, a home run and 18 RBIs.

PITCHER: Grace Batcheller, senior, Highland

The Highland pitching staff is one of tee best in Southeast Iowa, and the Huskies’ senior-leader anchored that group this season.

Batcheller went 12-5 on the season, finishing the year with a 2.53 ERA. She struck out 72 opposing batters.

At the plate, the Highland hurler hit .362 with 13 doubles, two triples and 17 RBIs.

CATCHER: Jocelyn Fulton, junior, Columbus

The Columbus lineup is one of the most promising in the area, thanks in large part to having a pair of hitters at a .500 batting average or above. Fulton finished the year at .500 exactly, and ended the season with a .585 on base percentage.

Fulton was a powerhouse for the Wildcats, hitting eight home runs and nine doubles, She also sent in 16 RBIs.

INFIELD: Sarah Burton, sophomore, Highland

One of the best hitters in the Union coverage area plays shortstop in Riverside.

Burton hit .465 this year, best among the Huskies’ starting lineup. She racked up the total bases, hitting six homers, five triples and six doubles, and finished second on the team with 19 RBIs.

On the bases, Burton was nearly impossible to get out. She went 37-for-38 in stolen base attempts and scored a team-high 47 runs.

INFIELD: Caitlyn Reber, senior, Cardinal

The Comets’ senior was a super table-setter for her team this season. Reber batted a cool .435 to give the Comets one of the best leadoff hitters in the area.

Reber finished the year with nine doubles, two triples and 16 RBIs from the leadoff spot. She scored a team high 41 runs and went a nearly-perfect 14-for-15 on stolen bases.

INFIELD: Emma Becker, sophomore, Cardinal

In just a few years as a high school softball player, Becker has risen to be one of the top players in the conference, and she was a big difference-maker in 2022.

Becker hit .432 this season with 10 doubles, three triples, a home run and 33 RBIs, which finished second on the team.

Becker was a menace on the bases as well, scoring 35 runs and going 18-for-18 on stolen bases.

INFIELD: Payton Brun, sophomore, Highland

Another member of a dangerous top of the Highland lineup, Brun was another tough out for the Huskies in 2022.

Brun hit .420 this year and walked a team-high 14 times to finish just shy of a .500 on base percentage, ending the year at .491.

Brun hit more runners home than anyone else in a Highland uniform, leading the team with 25 RBIs. She tallied 11 doubles, two triples and one home run on the season.

OUTFIELD: Gabi Robertson, sophomore, Mid-Prairie

Mid-Prairie’s outfield could rattle the bats in 2022, and sophomore Robertson had herself quite the year at the plate.

Robertson hit .453 this season, a top mark among Golden Hawk starters. She hit five doubles and two triples this season, and also knocked in nine RBIs.

OUTFIELD: Madeline Schrader, junior, Mid-Prairie

Schrader added some power to a strong Mid-Prairie lineup this year, and she earns the second All-Union spot for the Golden Hawks.

The junior hit .451 in 2022. She hit mostly singles, collecting just one homer, one triple and one double on the year, but she knocked in her fair-share of runs. Schrader finished the season with 17 RBIs.

Schrader was also a top base-runner for Mid-Prairie. She went 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts.

OUTFIELD: Kinsey Hissem, junior, Cardinal

Hissem was once again an anchor in the Cardinal lineup this season, as the junior brought some timely hitting to the middle of the order.

Hissem batted .392 this season, third-best on the team. She hit three triples and two doubles and knocked in 31 runs for the young Comets.

On a speedy Cardinal team, Hissem stole the most bases, finishing 19-for-19 in bag-swiping attempts. She also scored 29 runs.

UTILITY: Makiah Lower, sophomore, Winfield-Mount Union

The Winfield-Mount Union softball squad got quite the spark out of its sophomore pitcher this season.

Lower was the best bat on the team in 2022, hitting .466 for the season. She finished the year with four doubles, 16 RBIs and one home run.

Lower also jumped on to the scene in the pitcher’s circle, striking 81 batters out this year. She finished with a 6-9 record and a 5.04 ERA.

UTILITY: Annabelle Cormier, junior, Van Buren County

Representing Van Buren County on the 2022 team a junior hitter that had to step up in a big way for a Warrior team that replaced much of its 2021 lineup this season.

Cormier finished second on the team with a .392 ERA and made her hits count, as 14 of her team-leading 31 hits on the year were doubles. Cormier also knocked in 10 runs on the season.