Heading into its Thursday, March 3, opener against Greenway High School, the Mingus Union High School softball program has a roster loaded with 20 talented players.
The Marauders will need every one of them, though, to win the title of a deep Section II and earn a berth in the Division II state tournament. Head coach John Brown’s teams are just 3-9 and 15-20 overall, respectively, against that competition the last two seasons.
The battle begins at 3:45 p.m. at home in a sectional game against the Demons, who, with state semifinalist Cactus High School and 11 other teams, await a Marauders roster that is two-deep at virtually every position.
It all starts on the mound with junior Krista Earl, third in Division II in strikeouts last season and second in
Section V with a 1.97 earned-run average. She has been virtually carrying the entire pitching load for the Marauders the last two seasons, starting every game except doubleheaders.
“It’s what I’m used to [and] what she’s used to, to be honest,” Brown said. “Krista doesn’t play anywhere else. She’s a workhorse.”
Junior Morgan Mabery will be behind the plate full-time as a starter for the first season, backed up by freshman Paige Bartel.
The captain of the outfield is senior center fielder Tori Fanning. Brown’s daughter, Bailey, looks to take charge next to her in left field as a sophomore. Part-time starter Miliah Zillmer, who stole 10 bases as a sophomore, is a candidate to either take over in right field or back up Brown for a second straight spring.
“A lot of times, if there’s an opportunity to move a runner, instead of just hoping she gets a hit, we’ll let her lay down a bunt,” John Brown said. “The No. 2 batter will vary between Bailey and Miliah because they both offer very similar traits — they’re both fast and they can bunt.”
Either way, both Brown and Zillmer were potent No. 2 hitters in the batting order last spring. With help from junior Anissa Zorillo, sophomore Sonya Saucedo and freshman Delaney Hartnett, they should help fill the void left by 2015 graduate Sarah Ortiz, who led MUHS in virtually every hitting statistic.
Senior Sydney Hart and junior Caitlynn Shilling will lead the infield from second and first base, respectively, with senior Laria Serna a capable backup on the right side.
Competition remains fierce at third base and shortstop. But plenty of talented freshmen are vying for playing time there, including Lindsey Jones and Lacey Saravo, with Maddie Bejarano a capable backup at shortstop.
For the full Marauders softball schedule, please see the Wednesday, March 2, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
