As uncertainty swirled around the summer high school sports world, Southeast Polk softball coach Tia Stiles remained positive.
She, along with her fellow coaches and students, wanted to get back to some form of normalcy.
That hope came on May 20, when Gov. Kim Reynolds gave summer high school sports the green light to start practicing on June 1.
Being able to finally see students face to face is something Stiles, as well as her staff, had been looking forward to.
“Although we’ve stayed in touch, it’s still not the same as seeing the kids every day,” she said. “Fostering those personal relationships with those kids are going to be our number one priority.”
Stiles also mentioned that her team isn’t trying to “conquer the world in one day.” The Rams are taking things one day at a time.
Last season, Southeast Polk compiled a 24-17 record, including an 11-9 mark in the CIML-Iowa conference, which features some of the state’s top teams. The Rams saw their season end with a 5-4 loss to Indianola in the Class 5A regional final, but there are plenty of building blocks for this year.
One could argue that the Rams return more key contributors than any other team in the conference. With just two seniors from last year’s roster lost to graduation, Southeast Polk boasts a relatively young – but seasoned, nevertheless – lineup for the upcoming season.
It starts with the offense.
Junior Abbi Cataldo leads the way. In 2019 as a sophomore, she started all 41 games and led Southeast Polk with a .440 batting average, 59 hits, and 35 RBIs. Teammate Kaysee Dale also hit above .400 and finished close behind with 51 hits.
Including Cataldo and Dale, Southeast Polk returns seven key contributors who hit above .300 last season: Sydney McNeeley, Sydney Potter, Addison Brunner, Chloe Kottlowski, and Gretta Hartz.
In the circle, Lexi Hilzer commands the spot as Southeast Polk’s top arm, and rightfully so; Hilzer went 12-9 last season with a team-best 3.95 ERA. She also led the Rams with 106 strikeouts in her 121.7 innings pitched.
“She wants to be on the mound in any situation, whether that’s coming off the bench or starting,” Stiles said. “She wants to do whatever she can to help us be successful.”
In addition to Hilzer, the Rams saw varsity starts from just two other pitchers last season: Shania Yount-Wheels and Sydney Matthaidess.
A handful of underclassmen pitchers also saw limited time last season, so the opportunities are there for anyone to step up.
“We’re a relatively young pitching staff,” Stiles said. “We had a lot of kids get some valuable experience last year.”
The varsity team starts the season June 17 against Des Moines Hoover at Hoover High School, 5 p.m.
On June 19 Southeast Polk High School varsity hosts Des Moines East at 5 p.m.
Adam Hensley is a freelance journalist who writes our sports notebooks for the Ankeny Press Citizen and the Altoona Press Herald. For additional content, you can follow him on Twitter @A_Hens83.
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