(Atlantic) The Atlantic softball team did not reach its annual goal of qualifying for the state softball tournament; however, it still has many successes to be proud of. The Trojans’ season came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Centerville in the Regional semifinals one week ago.
The Trojans finished the season with a stellar 17-3 conference mark, second to Hawkeye Ten Conference Champion Creston, who finished the season with a 20-0 conference record. Atlantic had another outstanding season at the plate, hitting .336 as a team, with a .509 on-base percentage, and a slugging percentage of .902, with 268 runs, on 347 hits, 241 singles, 75 doubles, 15 triples, 16 home runs, and 227 RBI.
Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann credits hitting Coach Derek Handel for the team’s hitting success.
The Trojans had three pitchers on the staff, with Peyton McLaren and Zoey Kirchhoff logging the majority of the innings. Brynn Lamp appeared in a handful of varsity games and shows promise. McLaren finished the season with a record of 16-6, with an ERA of 1.54. Zoey Kirchhoff went 9-8 with an earned run average of 3.35.
Hinzmann says the team made a lot of strides from game one against Missouri Valley to game 41 against Centerville.
Hinzmann says one of the slogans hanging in the dugout displayed the message, “You probably won’t make a living playing softball, but you will use those softball skills you learned to make a living.”
Eight squad members were recognized as all-conference players.
First team selections:
*Lila Wiederstein, Unanimous
*Zoey Kirchhoff
*Peyton McLaren
*Makenna Schroeder
Second team selections:
*Claire Schroder.
*McKenna Sonntag
Honorable Mention:
*Dylin Ball
*Alivia Knuth
