Crusader preview: Wellington High School girls softball team brings back 6 starters but has a new coach

March 25, 2024 Cueball

2024 Wellington High School girls softball team.

By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow report — The Wellington girls’ softball team will be a busy bunch for the next two weeks — provided the weather allows the Crusaders to play.

Hannah (Shuck) Lawlis

Wellington opened the season last Thursday, losing to Rose Hill 5-3 and 8-3. The Crusaders were to host a triangular today with Ark City and Buhler, but Worden Park was deemed unplayable after an inch of rain fell over the weekend. Wellington is scheduled to host Andale for a doubleheader this Thursday and will travel to Augusta on Monday, April 1. All told, Wellington hopes to have 24 games before it plays in the post-season.

This marks the first year for Hannah (Shuck) Lawlis, who was hired late in January after former coach Brittanee Kneppe had resigned from the school system. Shuck is a Wellington High School graduate and a Lady Dukes alumnus. She has been coaching softball for 10 years. She was also the head coach of the WHS volleyball team a few years ago.

The Crusaders were 9-11 last season and 2-6 in the Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League, getting beat out in the first round of regionals in 2023.

This season is going to have some challenges. Lawlis has six starters returning in a challenging league that includes Rose Hill, Andale, and Clearwater. They also have a quad tournament in McPherson on April 19 with two state champions from a year ago.

Madison Baker

Senior Madison Baker is returning as Wellington’s primary starting pitcher. In her first start against Rose Hill, she pitched six innings. She allowed eight hits, walked five, and struck out five. She gave up just four earned runs in the 5-3 defeat, as the Lady Dukes had three errors in the contest.

Sophomore Haley Gulick will be the other pitcher. In her 2024 debut, she allowed 15 hits and walked eight in an 8-3 defeat.

The Crusaders have 23 girls out, which is a good number compared to years past. They have enough for a full-fledged junior varsity squad. Lawlis said the problem is that Wellington has just four pitchers for both teams, which makes things pretty thin.

“Having enough pitchers for both junior varsity and varsity is going to be a challenge,” Lawlis said.

Kyndal Rusk

Lawlis said the team’s strength is its hitting. Against Rose Hill, Wellington combined for 18 hits over the two games. Kyndal Rusk, a junior and third-year starter, is slated in the No. 4 spot and has demonstrated she will be a force to be reckoned with at the plate. She had her first homer of the season in the 5-3 win.

Wellington senior Addison Fox is also someone to watch. She had three hits in the same game.

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The projected starters for the rest of the season are:

Madison Baker- senior

Addison Fox-senior

Maya Cornejo- sophomore

Kyndal Rusk-junior

Kate Haines-senior

Bailee Sipp- freshman

Sullivan Parkey- -junior

Haley Gulick- sophomore

Sawyer Parkey- junior

Sophie Parkey- junior

Presley Cornejo- sophomore

Caroline Mott- freshman

Kirstyn Gregory- freshman.

Lawlis said she has been impressed with the younger players coming up.

“I wasn’t here last season, so I don’t know quite what to expect from this group,” she said. “But I have been impressed with quite a few of the underclassmen.”

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The schedule (always tentative in the spring, of course) is as follows:

March 21 – Rose Hill (away). Rose Hill 5 Wellington 3, Rose Hill 8 Wellington 3.

Monday, March 25 – Triangular – Ark City, Buhler at Wellington. (Postponed. Reschedule TBD).

Thursday, March 28 – Andale, home, 4:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Monday, April 1 – Augusta, away, 4:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Monday, April 15 – Winfield, away, 4 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Friday, April 19 – Quad – McPherson, Wamego, Southeast of Saline, Wellington – at McPherson. 4 p.m.

Monday, April 22 – Clearwater, home, 4:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Thursday, April 25 – Buhler, home, 4:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Monday, April 29 – Belle Plaine, home, 4:30 p.m. (Doubleheader)

Thursday, May 2, – El Dorado, away, 4 p.m. (Doubleheader)