Knutson prepares for final home game

Much has been talked about with the youth of the Washington softball team in 2016.

However, much of the optimism surrounding the team comes this season thanks to the play of its three upperclassmen, including the team?s lone senior Mackenzie Knutson.

?It?s not easy when you are the one senior with a group of young girls,? Washington first-year softball head coach Ben Obermann said. ?I?m really proud of how she?s led by example and been a great leader for us this season. She?s bringing the younger girls along and making them feel welcome. Sometimes, if you have one senior, they might say, ?oh, this sucks,? but she?s taken it in stride.?

Knutson, playing primarily in centerfield this season, said at the beginning of the year there were a few goals the team set out for itself, and they have achieved a number of them.

?We were looking to get better, and we are doing that,? Knutson said. ?We also wanted to become stronger as a team.?

Knutson has made her mark on the squad as the team?s leadoff hitter, leading the team in batting average (.333) and on-base percentage (.474), drawing 18 walks on the year and scoring a team-best 20 runs.

As the first hitter in the order, Knutson said her main role is to ?just get on base,? and force the opposing pitcher to show more of her pitches for the rest of the team.

She has also flashed her athletic ability in center this season, which hasn?t gone unnoticed by her team.

?She?s a very good player and very talented,? Washington junior Jessie Buchholz said. ?Her personality makes it fun to practice and be around.?

Buchholz has been another strong batter for the Demons, batting .330 and getting on base at a clip of .419, leading the team with 18 RBIs, and adding 19 runs scored; and she is joined by fellow junior Taylor Dicks, who ranks fifth on the team with eight RBIs this season, as the team?s two juniors.

As the team focuses its attention to the final week of the season before postseason play, Dicks said the team is right where they should be.

?We are playing our best softball now, and that?s important,? Dicks said. ?Once a couple of us start hitting, we all start hitting. That?s helped us improve a lot.?

Every player for the Demons, despite having a 9-23 record this year, has a lot of confidence this year, after nine of their losses have come by three runs or less.

?They can see that while the results haven?t been there, there is progress being made,? Obermann said. ?Individually they are getting better and we are battling to the end. We aren?t far off from many of these ranked teams. That?s exciting, moving forward into tournament play. We are confident.?

That confidence is pushing the Demons into a first-round regional game against Maquoketa next Thursday, with a potential date with rival Mt. Pleasant coming in the second round of the postseason, and Obermann knows his team can be dangerous this July.

?When we put a complete game together, we can play with and beat anybody,? Obermann said. ?Teams that have played us have seen how we keep coming at you. In a one-game sudden-death atmosphere, anything can happen. We can be dangerous, because we have a lot of talent here.?

One of the keys for the Demons will be limiting their mistakes, and if an error occurs, making sure it doesn?t snowball.

?We usually have one inning where things get out of control,? Dicks said. ?If we can play a full game, then (we?ll be OK).?

If the Demons can do that, Buchholz said she is ?confident this team can compete with anyone.?

Knutson?s final home game will be on Thursday night, when the Demons finish their regular season series with Mt. Pleasant at 5:30 p.m.