Z oey Jones — not a rah- rah girl. She’s never going to be a cheerleader in the dugout or in the field. But what she will provide is a near .400 batting average, an on- base percentage about 100 points higher, and she will defi- nitely be a thorn in the side of an opposing catcher due to her ability to swipe a bag each time she reaches base. The twins, Emma and Olivia Latterell, they’re never going to get in their teammates’ faces and bark to provide motivation, it’s just not their style. But they will give their team pop at the plate, and they play with a grit that makes it nearly impossible not to want to follow. Olivia throws on the catcher’s gear and logs inning after inning crouching behind the plate with a rod in her back. Yes, there’s pain, probably a lot of it. But there she is for the love of the game. And you better believe her teammates see that. Katie Sniezek, see above. She’s quiet and carries herself in a way that is the opposite of intimidating. But her softball skills do make opponents quiver just a little. She can hit for power, she can hit for average, she can steal bases, and in the field she is buttery smooth at shortstop. She’s the complete ballplayer, as her status as a two-time all-state honoree can attest. These are the leaders of the
Gilbert softball team entering the 2025 campaign and they are four good reasons why the expectations are to improve upon last year’s 18-17 cam- paign that included a 4-12 mark in the always-treacherous Rac- coon River Conference. In each of the past two seasons, the Tigers have reached the Class 4A regional final round, just one
step from the program’s first- ever trip to the state tourna- ment, and both times they’ve been denied by league rival North Polk. Is this the summer Gilbert clears that final hurdle? Maybe, but a lot of games and a lot of improvements will be made be- fore the postseason rolls
around. For now, veteran head coach Staci Sniezek is looking at the smaller picture. What can her players do to get better today, tomorrow, and next week? What can she do to get her leaders to step into even bigger roles and be those mouthpieces that moves the emotional
SUMMER 2025 | GAME ON 7
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