O'Neill Softball Wraps Up 2011 Season

The O'Neill Eagle softball program wrapped up their season with a third place finish at the Class B District tournament in Blair.  OHS finished behind state tourney teams Wayne and Blair.  The Eagles end the season with a record of 22 wins and 12 losses.

The District tournament saw the Eagles defeating David City twice by scores of 7-1 and 2-1.  They also shut out Schuyler 3-0 and lost twice to district champion Blair by scores of 8-1 and 9-0.  Jessi Simons and Toni Hamik both had good tournaments offensively with five hits each.  Simons had a dramatic game-winning RBI, driving in Erin Boyle in the bottom of the seventh with two outs against David City.  Hamik was 2-2 against Blair in the first game, driving in Kelci Ross for the Eagles' only run.

Defensively, the Eagles played well.  They didn't commit an error against David City in the 2-1 win and only one in the first David City win and had three in the shutout of Schuyler.  The battery of Rachel Price and Carli Baseggio combined to strikeout 31 batters, while Price, Desi Pinkerman and Ross had 40 put-outs and assists during the tournament.

Coach Monte Grossnicklaus commented, "It's a difficult tournament every year.  Wayne and Blair are two of the best programs in the state, regardless of class.  Our girls competed well and should be proud of what they've accomplished this season."  He also went on to commend the leadership of the seniors, Ross, Pinkerman and Price.  "Our seniors will be missed.  Not only did they start nearly 90 games each, they came to practice everyday with a great attitude and the willingness to learn."  

This season the Eagles tied the team record for wins (22) and broke the record for hits and RBI's in a season.   They broke a number of individual records also, including hits in a season (Desi Pinkerman with 39) and strikeouts in a season (Rachel Price with 200).  Price also holds the team record for consecutive starts with 115.

"We're very excited about next season," commented Coach Grossnicklaus.  "We return a lot of experience with an excellent combination of hitting and speed."