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THREE RIVERS EDITION/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE DIAMOND ROUNDUP SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020
ROSE BUD LADY RAMBLERS
Without star, Rose Bud looking for consecutive titles
BY NATE OLSON
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Joley Mitchell Era at Rose Bud is over, but that doesn’t mean the expectations have lessened for the Lady Ramblers.
Mitchell earned the USA Today All- USA High School Softball Player of the Year honors last spring in leading Rose Bud to the Class 3A state title. Mitchell has begun her soft- ball career at Notre Dame, and the Ramblers are adjusting to life without her and looking to defend their title. Rose Bud is seeking its fifth- straight championship-game appearance. The Lady Ramblers are 2-2 in those games.
“The expectations every year are to go out and compete for a conference, district, regional and state championship,” coach Scotty Starkey said. “We feel like we are going to be a com- petitive team this year, and as always, we hope to make another run at a state championship.”
One of the reasons Starkey is optimistic is
Conference: 3A-1 East
Coach: Scotty Starkey
Assistant coach: Joey Pruitt
2019 record: 35-1
Returning starters: Seniors Hope Hartle and Kameron Pierce; juniors Shelby Walker, Briley Chandler and Kyann Hays; and sophomore Kyndal Rooks.
senior pitcher Hope Hartle. The Henderson State University signee finished 10-0 with a sparkling .81 ERA last spring. Last year’s dominant performance raised her career record to 19-0 with a career 1.30 ERA.
Hartle, also a shortstop, hit .612 with 74 RBIs and 11 home runs en route to all-state and Max Preps Underclassmen All-American honors. Hartle has a career .527 batting average with 176 RBIs and 23 home runs. She also fields at
a .982 clip for her career.
Battery mate senior Kameron Pierce hit .402
with 4 home runs and 35 RBIs in 2019. Pierce also patrols the outfield at times.
Junior Shelby Walker, a Southern Arkansas University Tech commit, will see innings at first base, pitcher and the outfield. She hit .387 with 36 RBIs and 2 home runs, earning all-conference honors last spring.
Versatile junior Briley Chandler flashes the leather at a variety of infield and outfield positions and impresses Starkey with her speed on the base paths, he said.
Junior Kyann Hays, an all-conference selection and SAU Tech commit, works at first base and catcher. Starkey said Hays “played great catcher for the past two years and works well with the pitchers.”
Sophomore Kyndal Rooks mans the
FILE PHOTO
The Rose Bud squad celebrates a 7-3 win over Genoa Central on May 20 last year at the Class 3A state softball championship at Bogle Park at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
ROSE BUD SOFTBALL
5898 Hwy 36 West Rose Bud, AR 501-556-5808
www.rozark.com order online click here
APRIL 2 .......................................POTTSVILLE APRIL 3-4 .....................@RIVER CITY RUMBLE APRIL 6 .....................................DARDANELLE APRIL 7 ......................................... CLINTON* APRIL 9 ....................................... BERGMAN* APRIL 10 ............... @EAST POINSETT COUNTY APRIL 13 ........................................... ATKINS APRIL 14 ............................ MOUNTAIN VIEW* outfield for the Lady Ramblers but will move to shortstop when Hartle pitches, Starkey said. Rooks hit .340 with 5 home runs in 2019. She
APRIL 16 ............................. GREEN FOREST* APRIL 17 .................................@MELBOURNE APRIL 20 ............... SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH APRIL 21 ................................. @MARSHALL* APRIL 23 .................................... @SHERIDAN APRIL 24 ........................................ QUITMAN
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
has starred for the Lady Ramblers in basketball this winter, and Starkey said she has the same potential in softball.
CONCORD SOFTBALL
APRIL 2 ................. SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH APRIL 3 .............................@SACRED HEART* APRIL 7 ................... MOUNT VERNON-ENOLA* APRIL 9 .............. WEST SIDE GREERS FERRY* APRIL 14 ......................................... SHIRLEY APRIL 16 .................................... @CAVE CITY APRIL 20 .............................@WONDERVIEW* APRIL 21 ......................................@MIDLAND APRIL 23 ............................... @CALICO ROCK APRIL 27 ..............................................VIOLA
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
CONCORD BASEBALL
APRIL 2 ........................................... SHIRLEY APRIL 9 ......................................WEST SIDE* APRIL 13 ................................... @RIVERVIEW APRIL 14 ................................... @BRADFORD APRIL 16 ...............@MOUNT VERNON-ENOLA* APRIL 20 .............................@WONDERVIEW* APRIL 21 ......................................@MIDLAND APRIL 23 ............................... @CALICO ROCK
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
ROSE BUD BASEBALL
APRIL 3 .....................................MARMADUKE APRIL 6 ................... WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL APRIL 7 ................................... @MARSHALL* APRIL 10 .............................. @LR EPISCOPAL APRIL 14 ............................. GREEN FOREST* APRIL 16 ..................................@PERRYVILLE APRIL 20 .........................................@ATKINS APRIL 21 ............................ MOUNTAIN VIEW*
APRIL 24
........... @HASKELL HARMONY GROVE *DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES