Longhorn softball led by seven seniors in 2023 season

Although the Chase County softball team went 0-29 this softball season, Head Coach Denise Smith said this year’s team was a goofy, giggly group, who seemed to enjoy each other and being a part of the overall team.  
Smith said  this group of girls handled things really well considering the type of season they had.  
Excluding the subdistrict in Chadron, the team played 17 days, including 12 as the visitor, and covered over 2,800 miles on the road.
“Our season is challenging with the amount of games we have in a short period of time,” Smith added.
As individuals and a team, they were a group that communicated well with each other to get things done, according to Smith, and were flexible with where they played.
“They handled the adversity well, which will help them in the future,” Smith continued.   
Seven seniors led the way for the Longhorns. It’s the third year in a row that CCS has had at lead six seniors on the team.
Kathya Aragon, Hailey Markee and Iris Robles were on the team as freshmen. Denisse Guillen and Athziry Valenzuela joined as sophomores. Brooke Schilke and Katelyn Stamm first went out for softball as juniors.
Smith said all seven have been contributing to the program in their respective positions and we will have a lot of open positions to fill once again.
“Many of them have been willing to change or take on multiple positions for the benefit of the team’s needs. I applaud all of the time and effort they have put into the softball program throughout their high school career.,” she added.  
The excitement everyone had at Holyoke several weeks ago has to bring a smile to your face.
“It was priceless.  I wish we would have had more like that,” Smith said of the competitive game the Longhorns lost 15-16.  
Schilke led CCS in hits and batting average, 0.280.
Junior Jasmine Johnson led the team in RBIs, fielding percentage and had the highest on base percentage, 0.455.
Stamm led the team in stolen bases.
Three pitchers carried the load for CCS this season. Stamm had 38 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. Marley Randall pitched 21 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. Guillen had six strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Markee also threw 0.2 innings.
Smith said pitching is not easy and required a lot of focus.
“There was a lot of pressure on these girls,” she added.
Captains will be voted on at a later date and an Unsung Hero Award will be chosen by Coaches Smith, Mallory Connelly and Karli Hale.
Smith was grateful for the support of families though the season.
“I want to thank all of the parents for their continued support throughout the season; for all of the food and drinks for the girls, but mainly just for being there for their daughters,” she said.