By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL – Coming off a sectional win in the 2021 season, Mitchell High School seemed poised to continue the success they enjoyed that year in their next season, where they returned the majority of their starters.
Ultimately, however, that was not the case for the Bluejackets, who finished the season at a disappointing 12-12, losing in the opening round of sectional play to Providence, 5-3.
“Last year we kind of laid an egg. We underperformed last year. If I was a college coach, I would’ve gotten fired last year,” said Mitchell head coach Stevie Canada. “We did not perform like we should have with only losing two starters.”
This season could serve as redemption for the Bluejackets, who, much like the previous season will be returning the majority of their starters. In fact, they will return their entire starting lineup from the previous year.
During their run to a sectional championship two years ago, Canada said the team relied heavily upon their sophomore class, who stepped up in a big way during their postseason push. Those sophomores still remain on the roster, now as seniors and Canada will look to them to continue leading the charge.
“Yeah, they’re our leaders, that group, our senior class,” said Canada.
That group consists of Avery Southern, Malaya Tanglao, Caitlyn Mullis, Emerie Russell, Riley Brazzell, and Gracie Payton.
That group also included many of the team’s top performers from last season.
Southern was named to the All-Patoka Lake Athletic Conference team after finishing the season with four homers on her way to becoming the school’s all-time leading career home run hitter. She also batted in 16 runs, which was tied with Russell for the team high.
Southern also pitched a team-high 69 innings, striking out 59 batters and finishing the year with an ERA of 2.84.
Mullis also had a strong season at the plate, leading Mitchell with a .446 batting average and posting 33 hits, which also led the team.
She also got it done from the mound, finishing the season with the team’s lowest ERA at 1.95 through 43 innings pitched.
Despite strong individual performances, Canada said the team struggled to remain consistent throughout the season.
“We just had an up and down season. We didn’t hit the ball like we are capable of hitting it,” Canada said. “We just had games where we just busted the ball and then we had games where we just laid eggs and did not perform like we were capable of.”
If the hitting continues to be inconsistent this season, Canada expects the team’s pitching to be something they’ll be able to fall back on, with Southern, Mullis, Russell, who pitched 22 innings last year and freshman Karsyn Coleman expected to share time at the mound.
“As far as pitching goes, we’ve got Avery [Southern] returning. She’s probably our number one. And then Emery [Russell] and Caitlin [Mullis], they both through a little bit, Malaya [Tanglao] threw a game last year. And then we’ve got this incoming freshman, so we’ll have pitching,” said Canada.
Should his team be able to make it through the season healthy, Canada expects this year to be a big one for Mitchell.
“So barring that no one gets hurt, we’re expecting a big year. I mean, we can definitely make a run for sectional. We’ll have to play our best to win that thing and it’s possible,” he said.
On top of looking to reclaim their sectional crown, Canada said the team will also look to improve their PLAC standing, where they finished in third place last season after claiming a share of the championship in 2021.
“Of course, West Washington and Springs Valley both are going to be very good this year in the PLAC. Perry Central is no one to sleep on. So it’s going to be a very competitive PLAC, which we are very well eyeing that we have to play well, know that we have to play well and could win that also. That’s definitely a goal of ours,” Canada said.
The team’s season will begin on Wednesday, March 29 against Barr-Reeve.
This will also be the first game played on the team’s newly turfed field, which has the team especially looking forward to kicking this season off.
“We’re really excited. I think this is going to bring more of a crowd to Mitchell because it’s a very nice facility. The girls are excited. They love the way the field is, they love that there’s not going to be as many rainouts as we’ve had in the past. There’s gonna be games where we’re probably on the road and, if it gets called early enough, there’s a possibility that we can turn a road game into a home game,” Canada said. “The girls are really excited that the turf looks really nice. The girls are proud of the field and I think it’s something that even our opponents want to come and see the field.”
At a recent meeting of the Mitchell Community Schools board, the field was given an official name; Parker Field, in honor of community members Ted and Gail Parker.
Ted was previously a varsity softball coach for Mitchell but is perhaps most notable for his contributions to the area’s softball league, which he led for nearly 30 years from 1978-2008. He also led efforts to construct the school’s original softball field in front of the high school.
“Ted Parker brought fast pitch to Mitchell and I think that there are a few other names that have kind of continued on that tradition of trying to reach the top. Over the years we’ve had really good teams at Mitchell,” Canada said. “That’s all propelled from what Ted Parker created in the league. Mitchell Lehigh League has kind of taken over the lead that Ted Parker created. That’s always a big league for little kids, little girls, to play in and it’s fun for the community to get their kids involved in sports and all that. So, Ted Parker was definitely a big, big name for the softball community,” he continued.
