Although there are no seniors returning to the 2023 Racer Slow-Pitch Softball team, the Racers are deep with talent and playing time.
Head Coach Ashley Filer said that juniors Aubree Ferguson, Meredith Strange, Vanessa Portillo, and Lillie Portillo will lead the Racers this year.
They are joined by junior Madelyn Torrenueva, who moved in earlier this school year from Hesperia, California, where she was a member of a State Championship-winning team. Junior Brooklyn Lyles would also be able to help out the team, but she is on the injured list.
Other returning starters include: sophomores Cortni Smith, Jacie Brooks, and Addison McCann.
Freshman Lyla Gaither will also probably see some playing time.
Filer said the Racers are young but hungry, and the fact that there aren’t any seniors does not intimidate the girls. Their advantage this year is that the team can swing their bats, she said.
“They hit very well,” Filer said. “We have some who can hit it out, but the majority of our lineup can hit the ball.”
She added that they are very solid on defense, as well, with a solid pitcher in Vanessa Portillo.
“Our outfield is strong, and Meredith Strange is a big asset at shortstop,” Filer said, “and Lillie Portillo is a big third baseman.”
Last year’s Racers finished the season one game away from going to the State Playoffs.
“We ended on a positive note, and we are rolling this into our new season,” Filer said.
As of last week, Filer said they were ready to stop practicing and start playing some ball. The Racers compete in a tough Class 5A Conference with last year’s State Champions, North Rock Creek. Also in the Conference are Blanchard, Washington, Purcell, Tecumseh, Lexington, Dale and Bethel.
Filer said the Racers should be competitive in the Conference.
“I have high expectations for them to be successful,” Filer said. “We are blessed at the positions and they are softball sound. They have the skill and ability to be successful.”
Newcastle opened its 2023 season on Tuesday this week in the Dibble Festival where they played Cache. Because of print deadlines for the Newcastle Pacer, we were unable to report the game outcome.
Coach Filer is in her first year as head coach of the Racers’ slow-pitch team. She was assistant this year to Coach Mike Crossley in fast-pitch, and she helped with junior high boys basketball.
She is in her seventh year of coaching overall, have previously been head coach at Putnam City West in both fastpitch and slow-pitch softball, head coach at Sayre in both fast-pitch and slow-pitch, and more recently she was head coach of fast-pitch and slowpitch at McLoud.
