In recent years the Fayette High School softball team has become a Class 2 powerhouse, finishing 24-3 last year and 22-3 in 2021 with a 19-game win streak. The Lady Falcons have won at least 18 games a season over the past four years, with a district title and a conference championship driven by solid pitching and a powerful lineup.

But continuing their style of dominant play this year will require a young lineup to step into key starting roles in most positions. While the Lady Falcons return their starting pitcher from last season’s Lewis & Clark Conference championship team, they lost the rest of their infield and center fielder to graduation, a group that included four All-State players. And with only two seniors and six juniors, Fayette’s underclassmen will have to mature quickly up and down the lineup.

“We knew that was going to happen,” said Fayette coach Mike James. “We started playing those girls as freshmen. That happens in high school. You have to replace people, and we’ve got a good, young nucleus.”

James returns for his 17th season as head coach. Joining him will be assistant coach Melisa Felten.

This year the Lady Falcons will more than ever rely on starting pitcher Skylar Sunderland. Now a junior, she finished with a record of 19-3 last year, recording 185 strikeouts in 21 games started. She averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game started last year and posted a season ERA of 1.000.

“She’s going to have to work through some mistakes that weren’t made in years past,” James said. “She’ll make up for those mistakes, too. She had a really good summer.”

James said he expects big things out of his starting ace again this year. “She’s very determined.”

Sunderland’s rise ball has improved from last year, and her fast ball velocity is topping out around 60 miles per hour.

“I think she’s going to take some pressure off of a young infield,” James said. “She’s an equalizer. With a young infield, this is exactly the type of pitcher you’d like to have.”

This year, Sunderland will be targeting a new catcher in sophomore Leah Thies with an entirely new infield behind her. 

Despite only being a sophomore, Thies has a lot of experience from playing on travel teams. “It’ll be a little different this year. But Leah’s talented. She’s good.”

Backing up Sunderland will be sophomore Payton Kindle. “She throws strikes,” James said. “She’s not going to overpower anybody, but she moves the ball well. This summer, no one really touched her. She kept us in every game she played.”

Fayette’s outfield will be all new this year as well. Center fielder Hannah Quint graduated, and right fielder Addison Powell and left fielder Cayle John will move to infield positions. Powell, now a senior, will take over as shortstop. John will play first base.

“I hate to bring in Cayle because she’s such a good outfielder,” James said. “She’s had some experience there in the past with travel teams and she’s got a decent glove. She knows how to play the position.”

Powell will bring senior leadership to the infield. She led the outfield last season in fielding percentage at .909 and had the fewest errors in the grass with two.

“We played a lot at shortstop this summer,” James said. “She’s athletic enough to do it. Her arm is definitely strong enough. She’s definitely quick enough.”

The right-handed senior is also expected to bat leadoff. James said she is a good slap and drag bunter. And her speed will be a key factor on base.

Around the infield, freshman Paige Vroman will likely get the start at second base. She will compete with junior Rylee Finley for the starting job. Vroman may also get some time at shortstop.

Freshman Addison Gibbs is expected to start at third base. James said she is advanced for her age. “She’s been really impressive. She’s going to help us in a lot of ways.”

Gibbs is also expected to contribute in the heart of the lineup as the number three or four batter this season.

Speedy junior Whitley Sunderland will anchor the outfield in center. Southpaw sophomore Hailey Kuster will take over in left field, with sophomore Mariah Felten, freshman Emma Hilgedick, and freshman Greycen Syferd vying for the starting role in right.

“I’ve been happy with the younger girls. They are really athletic,” James said. “This summer encouraged a lot of people. We played pretty well.”

While fall practices just started last week, the team played together for most of the summer and James has a lineup in mind for opening day. Behind Powell at leadoff, Whitley Sunderland will hit second. Gibbs is expected to hit third, with Skylar Sunderland batting cleanup. 

Last year as a sophomore, Skylar hit .388 with 20 RBIs and six extra-base hits.

Thies will bat fifth after finishing with a .318 average a year ago with 22 RBIs and two home-runs. 

Cayle John will likely bat sixth. She hit .270 a year ago with six doubles and 13 RBIs in 85 plate appearances.

Filling out the bottom third of the lineup will likely be sophomore Hailey Kuster, Finley, and Felten.

Fayette will continue to be aggressive on the base paths again this year. Last season, the Lady Falcons swiped 61 bases, with a success rate of 80.26 percent. 

“We have some speed off the bench, which definitely helps because you can turn a pitcher or a catcher into a pretty fast runner,” James said. “And our pitcher and catcher get on base a lot.

“We will play aggressively. We’ll steal a lot and bunt some. It puts pressure on the other team.”

James said he is excited for senior infielder McKenna Botts to return to the lineup. She suffered a broken finger during summer play and will be sidelined for at least the first week or two of the season. 

“She’s been with us the whole time and hasn’t gotten to play a ton,” James said. “She was having a good summer and was hitting the ball pretty well. She was playing as good as I’ve ever seen her play. She’s been nothing but a great leader, and a great teammate. I’m hoping we can get her back.”

The Lady Falcons will get a final preseason tune-up against New Franklin, Harrisburg, and Glasgow at the Fayette jamboree on August 22. They again open the season at the Boonville Tournament on August 26 which as of this writing is still unseeded.

Fayette travels to Columbia to face Class 5 Battle High School on August 29. The next day the Falcons jump into Lewis & Clark Conference play at Scotland County. Their home opener is August 31 against Sturgeon.

Fayette is the defending conference champions, having swept the Lewis & Clark a year ago, culminating with dramatic extra-inning wins against eventual state-champion Marceline and Salisbury. 

“Our conference is tough,” James said. “It’s one of the better conferences in the state of Missouri for this class size. Winning that conference is a tremendous achievement. Our younger group wants a piece of that too.”