🥎 The Lady Mounties Junior High Softball Team: Building the Future of PO Softball! 💙

Written by: Coach Frank

Youth softball team poses on a gym floor. "Mountie Pride" on wall, bleachers in background. Team wears gray and blue uniforms, smiling.

⚾ Team Overview: Growth, Dedication, and Chemistry

The Lady Mounties will be focused on the fundamental's “pitching, defense, and hitting.” This season, the Middle School Lady Mountie Softball Team is coached by Coach Frank and Coach Showers and helped by Tiffany Inhoof, Brian Bailey, and Chris Demchak. The team has seven returning players from last year's team, with an addition of twelve new players as the Lady Mountie Softball Program reloads with a mixture of seasoned and new talent. The focus of the Lady Mounties Team is to develop as a team. We work on being structured, regimented and disciplined, and to accomplish this, the program is built around its core values of “trust, commitment, and caring.” We establish this by reinforcing our three rules “do right, do your best, and treat others the way you would like to be treated.” This is also how we balance our academic, athletic, and personal life. This is the main elements that bring student athlete's together in the Mountie Program.

Seven girls pose on and around a large green chair in an indoor setting, smiling and relaxed. Some shirts have visible text.

🥇 Players to Watch

The season starts with Taylor Kowalcyk out for the season with an injury. The Mounties will return two pitchers that can bring the heat Rilie Bush and AB Inhoof. Bella Bailey and Avalyn Belinda who have great speed of their own will also be in the rotation. The infield is very talented and is led by Maddie Shoemaker with Maci Folmar, Evie Harmic, Willa Mitchell and Bailey. The Outfield has picked up speed this year with the addition of Allison Brown and Alaina Dunsmore. Bush and Inhoof will also bring experience to the outfield. Additionally, Briella Bumbarger who is coming off a major injury and Megan Demchak will be competing for positions along with Keera Snedden. Abby Vallee, Maddy Teats, Mia Zendek, Jayda Hamilton, McKayla Smith, Janessa Pitts will also be competing.

🗓️ Key Games & Rivalries

The team’s schedule includes several highly anticipated matchups:

🏟️ West Branch – This is a rivalry game. It's a local game that both teams get up for.

🏟️ Clearfield – This is a rivalry game, both teams will play hard.

🏟️ BEA – This is both a rivalry and a key game. Both teams will be focused, and they will compete hard. It has been the program rivalry for the past 20 plus years. This game sets the tone for the next five to six years of their participation in the Mountie Program.

Group of smiling kids in cozy pajamas pose in front of a festive winter backdrop with a moonlit sky and snow-covered trees.

🏫 Beyond the Diamond: Academics & Team Culture

With the Lady Mountie softball team academics and volunteerism in the community are the most important part of the program. Whether it is the Backpack Program or it is crafts with afterschool kids at the local YMCA, the Lady Mounties have developed a continuous culture of giving back to the community as a thank you for all the support the community provides.

👏 Coach’s Closing Thoughts

“I appreciate how hard this group has worked for the program so far this season. They will be authentic leaders, they will be caring, they will be courageous, they will be consistent, and they will have credibility." Coach Frank

“We have the talent and depth to be competitive in each game we step into. The girls are building relationships and learning life skills that will take each one beyond the game of softball. The girls are hard workers and making the future of Mountie Softball very bright.” Coach Showers