Mid-Buchanan softball returns to success with Wednesday's quarterfinal berth
Oct. 20—FAUCETT, Mo. — In years past, one of the area's best softball programs resided at Mid-Buchanan High School.
But in the last decade, things haven't been as great for the Dragons — until now.
"Our program, for a long time, was one of the best in the area, and it kind of had a lull, so it's good to get back," Mid-Buchanan head coach Megan Wyatt said. "That's kind of been the ultimate goal, to get the program built back up, so it feels really good to get it there."
The Dragons won their first district title since 2009 on Saturday with a 6-1 win over Lathrop. With the victory, players and coaches say they feel the program is shifting back to an era of success in Faucett.
"It's a really big badge of honor to be able to do it for the first time in 12 years," Mid-Buchanan junior Taiylor Harrington said. "We put in the hard work, and we deserved the district title. We came out and got it."
Mid-Buch now looks ahead to Wednesday's Class 2 quarterfinal. With a win, the Dragons would be on to just their fourth-ever semifinal appearance.
"I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and a lot of people don't get this opportunity," Mid-Buchanan sophomore Maddy Conard said, "so I think we're pretty grateful for it."
In Wednesday's quarterfinal, the Dragons will go up against Sherwood, a team they are familiar with.
Mid-Buch faced Sherwood on Oct. 9, when the Dragons came out on top with a 4-3 victory.
Wyatt said seeing their opponent once already gives the Dragons a leg up.
"They're really strong, we know that, but we did face their ace, so we got a little bit of help there with our scouting," Wyatt said. "Usually when you get later, you haven't seen some of the teams you're playing later on in a season, so it's a huge advantage for us."
From a player's perspective, Harrington said it gives the team an extra boost of confidence knowing they have what it takes to get the victory.
"We're more familiar with their team, obviously, and we know what the pitcher likes to pitch," Harrington said. "It's gonna help us be really disciplined at the plate."
The Dragons' last final four appearance came in 2008 when they finished third. Mid-Buchanan also finished fourth in 1999 and took home a state title in 1979.
After a successful career of her own as a player at Mid-Buchanan, Wyatt said she loves seeing the community rally around her players as they look to make another historic run.
"The whole school backs our athletics, and our whole community really backs our athletics, and everyone takes a lot of pride in it," Wyatt said. "Postseason softball is a lot of fun, and I love that these girls are making memories like I got to on this field."
Mid-Buchanan will host Sherwood in the Class 2 Quarterfinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Jacob Lang can be reached at jacob.lang@newspressnow.com. Follow him on twitter: @NPNowLang.
