good thing is we have so many kids that could have earned the same (postseason) honors as Katie last year. She has the support around her and we all know that.” Where Gilbert stacks up against the RRC heavyweights is still unknown. Sure, Winterset lost some big pieces from its state championship team, but the best programs always seem to reload rather than rebuild. Statistically, seven of the top 10 hitters for average in the conference return. The RBI leader is back, and on and on it
goes offensively. And in the cir- cle, North Polk, Carlisle, Winter- set, Bondurant-Farrar, ADM, Ballard, Carroll, and Boone all return the aces of their pitching staffs. Like we said ... reload, not re- build. That’s the yearly theme. “Winterset, Carlisle and North Polk are all going to be really good again, and it starts with their pitching,” Sniezek said. Gilbert will continue to try to simply chip away. The Tigers will try to take that next step. They’ll attempt to move one or
even a few rungs higher on that con- ference hierarchy. And they’ll continue to eye the big leap into the state tourna- ment. Will it happen this season? Sniezek isn’t into making pre- dictions, but she likes her team. She likes the chemistry between the players. She likes the belief she sees in their eyes.
WANT MORE INFORMATION ON THE GILBERT SOFTBALL TEAM? Use the QR Code to go to the team site on Bound. Results will be updated throughout the season.
It should be a fun summer for the players and the coach.
Catchers (left to right): Greta Platts, Katie Sniezek, Maddy Shannon, Olivia Latterell, and Raegan Murphy.
22 GAME ON | SUMMER 2024
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