BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com
Purdy softball downed by 1 in district championship
There was nothing the Purdy senior softball players wanted more this year than to return to the Class 1 state tournament.
Freshmen when the Lady Eagles won the state title in 2021, Purdy’s seniors this year came as close as they could to a state run, falling to Ash Grove, 4-3, on a walk-off in the district championship bout.
Though they fell just short, Lady Eagles Coach Lori Videmschek said when looking back at the season, she’s pleased.
“I think we did really good reaching our team goals,” she said. “One was to win the Southwest Central League championship, and we did that. We also won the conference outright, which we have not done in a couple of years. Our other goal was to play for a district championship, and we just fell al little short.
“We played well, and it would have been nice to play in a quarterfinal. But, I’m proud of what the kids did.”
Purdy’s season stayed near .500 through the first half of the season, which Videmschek said is a testament to the toughness of the Lady Eagles’ schedule.
“The first part of the season was slow because that Joplin Tournament was loaded,” Videmschek said. “We came out of it 2-3, but there was a lot of growth and growing pains throughout the season. We play some tough teams and have a challenging schedule, so you may not see us go 23-3, but we play a hard schedule to be ready for districts.”
Another battle Purdy fought was availability. Due to injuries, the team had only 10 girls by the end of the year.
“They played through a lot of adversity, and toward the end, started playing a lot better, hitting better and playing better defense,” Videmschek said.
That improvement showed most from April 19-27, when Purdy strung together 7 wins — the last 5 of which were shutouts — culminating in the conference tournament championship over Southwest, 11-0.
Through the many highlight moments of the season, Videmschek said the most memorable for her came in the Class 1, District 5 semifinals against Exeter.
“We were down 4 runs and were able to come back and beat them by 1, [4-3],” she said. “It took every one of the girls to be able to win that game.”
Three of those needed were the seniors leaving the team, and they leave big shoes to fill. Center fielder Jessi Hoppes is a four-year starter and four-time All-State selection (the first ever fourtime awardee for Purdy), second baseman Rylee Stanford is an All-Conference and All-District, and Raeley Henderson is a four-year starter.
“We will miss them because they do a lot for us,” Videsmchek said. “Jessi has started every year and been All-State every year, and she’s going to play at Jefferson College. She was our lead-off and our spark plug.
“Rylee on defense just got the job done for us. She has a great glove on her. Raeley started all four years and played many positions for us, and we relied on her a lot.”
As the seniors’ skills will be missed, so will be their experience.
“They talked a lot to the younger girls about that state championship when they were freshmen, what it took to get there and how to just enjoy it,” Videmschek said. “They all said their greatest moments of their careers was winning state. They were great leaders for us.”
Though one All-State nod is leaving, another remains on the team, followed by a host of All-Conference and All-District players.
Pitcher Gabriella Groomer is an All-State winner and All-Conference and All-District players include Lauren Brooks at third base, Courtney Patterson at right field, Zoey Webb at catcher and Rosa Schad at shortstop, also an All-Region selection. Outfielder Brooklyn Bunch, an All-Conference selection, will likely move to first base next season.
“They will all bring a lot to the team next season,” Videmschek said. “One who really stepped up this season was Courtney. She made some unbelievable plays in the outfield for us, especially against Exeter and Crane. I’m anxious to see what they all can do.
“We also have an athletic group of freshmen who can make an impact for us, so we are excited to see what the team will be like.”
With so many decorated players returning, Videmschek said the goals will not change.
“We want to defend out conference tournament and season titles, and we want to be ready to compete in districts and try to wi that championship again,” she said. “It’s been a few years since we have done that, so we’d like to go a little further in the playoffs. We will have great senior leadership coming back.”
