North Callaway softball was short on innings and experience last season.

The Ladybirds don’t expect those to be big issues in the future as they have 22 girls playing softball this year.

“This is the biggest my team’s been in five years,” head coach Mariah McKee said. “It’s just really nice to be able to have a full varsity and a full JV and be able to have their JV games actually be worth it for them and play the full five innings.”

McKee said not having as many girls means varsity girls have to play junior varsity games, and their innings are then limited to keep them fresh for varsity action. Of course, this also means the Ladybirds assigned to JV will be able to absorb more experience this season.

At times last season, the youth of North Callaway showed in games, leading to a 5-14 record – the program’s third straight losing season. Five years ago, North Callaway was a 20-win district-championship-winning team.

“We’re still going to be young, but we have a lot of young freshmen coming in that are very talented,” McKee said. “I think it’s really going to help boost what we already have going on. Our upperclassmen are really good leaders, and they’ve really got the experience underneath their belts. Having these young kids, who are really talented, see what it’s like and see how to act, I think it’s going to work out really great.”

Freshman Olivia Knoepflein is someone McKee said will benefit learning from the older girls and give North Callaway the innings in the circle, at shortstop, at third base and anywhere the Ladybirds need her. She will be one of three pitchers along with sophomore Lauren Speight and senior Ellie Bedsworth.

Last year, North Callaway had the graduated Ryelle Schmauch covering 97 2/3 of the 104 2/3 innings, with Bedsworth pitching the rest.

“I’ll actually have three that can throw this year,” McKee said. “I haven’t had that in two years.”

On the offensive side, North Callaway will feature the speed it had last year – returning five who swiped bags last season – and will have more hitters to plug into the lineup.

Senior and reigning unanimous all-Eastern Missouri Conference selection Jalyn Leible led the Ladybirds in batting average (.393), RBI (11) and doubles (six) and expects to be a force while playing more center field than she could a year ago.

Junior Brianna Prosser led North Callaway with 24 hits for a .387 batting average in her all-conference season. Those expected to have bigger roles this season, McKee said, include Bedsworth, freshman Kymorie Myers and sophomore Faith Cash.

“My young ones coming in, they’ve got some pretty good sticks,” McKee said. “We’re definitely still going to play some small ball. We’re going to be pretty fast this year. Adding in the kids that can hit for the extra bases, it’s going to really help.”

McKee said North Callaway will still need to improve, especially on defense, to account for all the new knowledge the young Ladybirds will have to take in but believes they will get there.

“The next few years are really bright for North Callaway softball,” McKee said. “With us being young, I just want to make sure they are understanding the concepts we’re throwing at them and that they’re learning from it, and we can just build on it.”

North Callaway plays in a jamboree at 5 p.m. in Centralia before hosting its first regular season game at 5 p.m. Aug. 30 against South Callaway.