POPLAR GROVE, Ill.—There’s no question that the North Boone softball team was left hungry for more after falling to Big Northern rival Rock Falls in a regional championship.
Luckily, the Vikings return all but one of their starters from their 23-5 squad that finished runner-up in the BNC, and the players are eager to satiate their appetite.
“We’ve gone to the regional championship for the past (four seasons) now,” senior Cami Carter said. “We want to get past regionals, especially us five seniors who have been through that all three years. We’re all super excited. We think we can do it this year, especially with such a great team that we have.”
North Boone finished runner-up to the Rockets in the conference, and their only two losses in conference play were to Rock Falls.
“We had some really good numbers, but we just fell short at the end again,” senior Danielle Goodman said. “So, I’m hoping this year we can finish it up.
We have a really good group of girls. We all gelled really well right off the bat, no pun intended.”
The Vikings won the conference in 2022 and were third in 2021, but sixth-year head coach Tim Fleming understands that being a top dog in the Big Northern doesn’t come easy.
“It always seems like teams just constantly reload,” he said. “We had some tough draws the last few years with this group here in regionals. But the message this year is that we take that as a learning experience. I feel like we’re in a situation just similar to Rock Falls. They had a lot of seniors last year and we have a lot of seniors coming in this year. That can bring a set of experience and leadership that we’re looking for to get over the hump.”
Carter heads into the season as North Boone’s No. 1 pitcher and is one of the best in the Stateline area. A superb well-rounded athlete, she was named the BNC Pitcher of the Year, recorded well over 200 strikeouts and broke the school record for RBIs in a year with 65 in addition to hitting 11 homers with a batting average of .578.
“When you have a first team all-state pitcher coming back, it’s always a good feeling,” Fleming said. “Her and Danielle Goodman, our catcher, have worked so well together for the last few years. We’re really excited about that combination.”
“I’ve been working quite a bit on some new pitches,” Carter said. “I’ve got two new ones this year that I’m hoping I can show off just a little bit. I’ve been working really hard with our pitching coach for high school, Peyton Abbott. I’m super excited because there’s some of the pictures I had at the end of the year last year that didn’t really work very well and we’ve been working really hard in the off season.”
Goodman also catches Carter on their travel team, the Wisconsin Lightning.
“Cami has done a ton of really good work for us,” she said. “And I’m excited to see Camdyn (Hall), our sophomore, also get a couple of innings. Audrey (Pearce) is our other catcher, so having multiple people at different positions is exciting to be able to get everybody in.”
Goodman earned a spot on the all-state second-team last season and is heading to Saint Xavier University in the fall after providing great defensive work behind the plate and stellar results at it.
“Danielle has been my catcher for quite some time now,” Carter said. “We grew up together. She is such a great person and an amazing leader. She is always there to pick us up.”
The infield is filled with strong gloves that will also spark the Vikings’ offense.
Freshman Marlee Alderman has some big shoes to fill in replacing North Boone’s lone graduate, Kamryn Sphor, who was an all-state third teamer at first base.
“We’re excited to see what Marlee brings to the table,” Fleming said. “We have senior Sydney Goodman at second base. Lauren Stefek is obviously the leader of the infield, playing shortstop for her fourth straight year. And Haven Hahn and Audrey Pearce alternate at third base.”
Stefek was the fourth Viking last season to earn all-state honors, being placed on the second-team.
Fleming called the outfield “the most experienced I’ve had.”
“We’re pretty blessed,” he added. “We have a lot of depth in multiple positions. Avarie Torres, Olivia Johnson and Hayden Staver just fly to the ball, make plays and all have incredible strength in the arms.”
North Boone opens the season at home against Durand on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
“We want to play relaxed and play the way we know how to play,” Goodman said. “Everyone looks really calm and that’s our goal. Stay calm, play well and do it.”
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