By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
BRANSON — The Branson softball team has had just three winning seasons since 2009 – and none since 2017.
But with several key contributors returning from last season’s 12-15 team – including one of the greatest to ever suit up for the Pirates – there’s a feeling this year’s team could be special.
“This team will have two girls leading the team that have been varsity starters for four years,” Branson coach Josh McKee said. “This group has bought into what we are trying to accomplish and what we are striving towards. They want to have a successful season and compete each day.”
Those leaders are Sierra Dailey, who last fall became the first player in program history to collect first-team all-state honors, and all-conference and all-district centerfielder Ally Dicken.
Dailey led the team with a .464 batting average and 37 runs batted in and was 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA in limited pitching duty. With two-year starter Peyton Bonsey moving onto Stephens College, Dailey will become the team’s ace this season and play shortstop when she’s not in the circle.
It’ll be a new challenge for Dailey, who hasn’t been an everyday pitcher since junior high.
“She has gotten to be one of the program’s greats by all the hard work out of season that she does and is constantly working on her game,” McKee said. “There’s hardly a day you don’t drive by the field or have someone telling you that they saw Sierra up at the field practicing. She is not a very vocal teammate. She just goes about her business and leads by example every day. She is a great role model for the younger players to see how she goes about her business every day and for them to look up to.”
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Dicken is another lead-by-example role model for the Pirates, and is coming off a season in which she hit .390 and scored a team-best 27 runs from the leadoff spot.
“She is like another coach in the program,” McKee said. “She makes sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to and making sure everyone is ready to play. Ally has always had success at the varsity level, but I could see her having a memorable senior season on the field.”
The Pirates will lean on Dailey and Dicken as they look to replace five multi-year starters who departed the program. In addition to Bonsey, four-year starter Langley Miller (Henderson State, softball), three-year veteran Chloe Grimm (Hendrix, basketball and soccer) and Madi Good (Missouri State-West Plains, softball) will continue their careers in college. Four-year veteran Leann Rhoads also graduated.
But several talented underclassmen return to the team, including sophomores Sadie Lampe and Jocelyn McQueen. Both earned postseason honors during stellar freshman seasons.
“It did not surprise me that they made such an immediate impact coming in as freshmen,” McKee said. “Their overall game knowledge and awareness is that of a junior or senior. They put themselves in good positions to be successful and they don’t try to do too much when they are at the plate or on defense.”
Sadie, a catcher, was named to the all-district and all-region teams after hitting .324 with 17 RBI and 19 runs scored. McQueen, an infielder, earned all-district honors with her .338 average, 20 RBI and 24 runs scored.
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“They both have a tremendous work ethic and are constantly working on their game and becoming a better athlete in the weight room and on the field,” McKee said. “They are a lot of fun to have on the team. They play the game with a lot of energy and have fun doing it. The sky is the limit for these two players. It will be a lot of fun to see how good they can get over the next three seasons.”
Sophomores Jerzi Yacko and Kaleah Morrison and junior Kylynn Hall also return for another season.
Yacko won the starting first base job as a freshman and hit .287, drove in 17 runs and scored 13 more.
“She has a lot of natural ability that she brings to the program on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, she will only get better and better as she gets older,” McKee said. “She could have a really breakout season this year.”
Morrison went 1-0 in limited action as a freshman and will be the No. 2 pitcher behind Dailey.
“She has been working really hard in the weight room and on her pitching and has the ability to be a major contributor to the team this season,” McKee said. “She is a great teammate and goes above and beyond for the team.”
Hall is another player who gained experience as a sophomore and is ready for an expanded role.
“She has made huge strides this season in her overall softball game,” McKee said. “She has improved behind the plate and improved her overall arm strength. She has gotten better as a hitter and she has worked really hard this off season to make an impact for this season.”
Seniors Leanne Glenn and Monica Carter give the Pirates some additional options in their lineup.
Branson also has an incoming class of 10-12 freshman, several of whom could see playing time.
“Depth for our program is only getting better with each season,” McKee said. “We have a community that has bought into our youth program and are playing a lot of softball before they get into high school. When I got here five years ago, we only had a handful of kids playing travel softball in the summer. Now we have around 90 kids playing from ages 6-18. The support the kids and parents have shown for the softball program is tremendous and you can see how each year we are getting better as a program and competing more in every game.”
Two of those freshmen – Shelby Seay and Kallie Hall – are projected to be third and fourth on the pitching depth chart after showing “positive signs” against varsity hitters over the summer, McKee said.
“They will get opportunities to show what they can do in the circle,” the coach added.
Branson will participate in an August 23 jamboree with Bolivar, Cassville and Aurora at Bolivar.
The Pirates will open the regular season at the Aurora Kickoff Classic on August 26 and 27. Their first home game is scheduled for August 29 against Glendale, while their Central Ozark Conference schedule begins with a September 6 visit to Ozark.
“We will have a lot of young players in the lineup, but most of them have at least one full season of varsity experience under their belt,” McKee said. “We continue to gain more depth each year, which makes us better during practices and follows us into games. I think our offense and defense will both be our biggest strengths this season. This group has the ability to put a lot of pressure on other teams and the ability to make big plays on defense.”
