Lady Rams ready to take softball a step higher

After taking second place in the 2A region last season the Maricopa High School softball team is looking to make a similar showing in their first year of 3A level play.

With six returning players, the Rams will have a young pitching staff supported by an infield of upperclassmen. Junior Jayme Kesler will hold down third base accompanied on the left side by junior Ronnie Cyr. On the right side of the infield, Ashley Brown will be at third base.

Sophomore Jinger Kesler will be behind the plate. Head Coach Leslie Misner said the girls who make up the infield are aggressive and have great throwing arms.

Misner said team members expect to see more hitting this season with the change in regions, so defense is a priority, especially after the defense crumbled on occasion last year, she said. To ensure their skills would improve the team focused on the fundamentals at the beginning of practice. The team has improved nicely, Misner said.

Ultimately, those on the team understand they are going into a region with an improved caliber of play, but Misner said she has discouraged the girls from focusing on it. Instead, she advises them to go into each game as if they were facing a team from the best 5A region.

“We are going to attack each team as if they are a 5A team and settle for nothing less than a great game with 110 percent effort,” Misner said.

The Rams season begins Thursday at the Boulder Creek Tournament. Their first home game will be a week later in the Krystin Diehl Tournament in Maricopa.

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