Strong Bon Homme softball team gearing up to make another state run
May 10—TYNDALL, S.D. — A strong softball program from a year ago looks poised and ready to challenge for the Class B state crown this year.
Bon Homme is 15-3 on the season, having won its last 13 games. At No. 2 in the Class B seed-points standings to Castlewood, the Cavaliers have won their five May contests so far with a plus-67 run differential, at a time when everybody on the team has pushed each other towards continued improvement.
"On a high school team, it's probably really easy for all these girls to be jealous of one another," first-year head coach Bailey Kortan said, "but we don't have that on our team. We're pushing each other and trying to get better every game, even if you're winning."
Kortan, who played softball and graduated last spring from Mount Marty, took over coaching a squad that went 14-6 and finished in fourth place at the Class B state softball tournament in its first year as a sanctioned sport. Her belief of playing "defense" while on offense, with hitters being selective at the plate and hitting pitches in their spots, has led the Cavaliers' experienced lineup to being more productive than last season.
Bon Homme has a team batting average of .454 and a slugging percentage of .784. Of the team's 210 hits, 97 have gone for extra bases, and they've scored 264 runs on the year. Individually, five of the team's players sport batting averages of .500 and above, while another four are batting at least .400.
While the improved offense is at the forefront, the team's defense has also improved. The Cavaliers shuffled around players into new positions, and have posted an .897 team fielding percentage, committing 16 errors in the field for the season.
Emphasis placed on all aspects of the defense, from the middle infielder's catch and tags on stolen-base attempts to the outfielders working on their throwing technique has given the team confidence to go out and make a play.
"We know that all of our nine girls can make a play on the ball, and that's really discouraging for the other team to have hits taken away left and right," Kortan said. "When it comes down to these closer games in the next few weeks, we'll be ready for all of that happening."
Many of the Cavaliers' key players from last season have returned. Olivia Bures, Taycee Ranek, and Taryn Crites lead the team with four home runs apiece, and have driven in at least 30 runs on the year. Kenadee Kozak sports an 1.161 OPS at the plate while striking out 96 batters in 79 innings pitched.
Olivia Kaul, Reyna Alberts, and Neveah Myers each sport batting averages above .500, and Kaul has showcased her range in the outfield. Kozak, Ranek, and Jurni Vavruska led the team with 22, 17, and 16 stolen bases respectively.
As the games get inevitably closer and the stakes are raised, the goal for the Cavaliers, as it has been throughout the year, is being selective at the plate along with capitalizing on chances to score runs when presented.
"Working every inning to try and score is going to be huge for us," Kortan said. "Even though we're rated pretty high, we can't take all these teams lightly. If we do the small things and swing at our pitches, we will come out on top."
