Great Expectations for Lady Eagles
Fresh off a 38-3 season and an appearance in the state semifinals for the first time in school history, expectations are high around the Holliday Lady Eagles softball program...just don’t tell head coach Billy Arbogast.
“We really don’t talk about expectations,” the Lady Eagles skipper said. “We try to treat everything the same way as we did last year. I don’t think there’s anything different. It’s cliché, but we’re worried about the next one and then after that we’ll worry about the next one.”
With seven returning starters, including a trio of all-state selections, Holliday is poised for another deep postseason run with hopes of returning to Austin.
Arbogast, however, isn’t worried about Austin or even the playoffs for that matter. His biggest goal for the team is improving from pitch to pitch and inning to inning.
“We’re working to continue to improve at-bats and adjusting to situations throughout the game. We don’t have to win the game in the first couple of innings but we need to be able to be processing how we’re getting pitched, how they’re getting us out, how we’re getting them out. We have to do a better job at managing in-game adjustments.”
Someone that’s embraced every adjustment through the early portion of the season is Addison Lindemann. Last year’s Archer County News Diamond Dozen MVP, Lindemann has improved across the board for Holliday. Through 12 games this season, she’s hitting at a .580 clip with 30 RBI and six homers, tripling her two from 2021. As the ace of the Lady Eagles’ staff, she’s posted a 10-1 record with a 0.83 ERA and averaging nearly two strikeouts an inning (59.0 IP / 116 K).
“Early on, she hasn’t been walking as many people,” Arbogast said. “She’s being efficient. That comes with maturity, being older and having been through the fire, being able to pitch in 35-40 games, she realizes that you run low at the end of long years when you haven’t been as efficient. I would say her efficiency with her pitches and the location of her pitches and understanding she doesn’t have to strike them all out has been a huge boon. Getting people out early in counts with location and pitch selection is a benefit to her and can keep her stronger, healthier and more gas in the tank when it gets to the end of the year.”
One of the new faces around the diamond this season for Holliday is Julie Bruggeman. She takes over for Taylor Gillit who graduated last season.
“Nobody is going to replace Taylor Gillit,” Arbogast said. “It’s not the ‘next-man-up’ strategy, it’s how can we find success with new people. Everybody has to have their own success. That changes from year to year. We’re never going to try to replace Taylor, we just have to have Julie be the best Julie Bruggeman.”
Campbell Jurecek becomes the full-time first baseman for Holliday after mixing in at the position last year. After hitting .267 with two homers and 19 RBI in 60 at-bats a season ago, the junior has raised her average by .100 points through the early goings of the 2022 season.
“Campbell’s showed maturity,” Arbogast said on Jurecek’s improvements. “It’s all going to come from her at-bats. She’s athletic enough to play first base and is comfortable around the bag. That’s happened from her playing first base when she was younger. It’s all going to be her mental aspect in the box. Can she build off success from one at-bat to the other and can she overcome a failure and not let it stockpile. She’s done a phenomenal job so far. Credit to her on working on her mental toughness and being able to put the past in the past.”
With Allie Davis moving from second base to shortstop, Arbogast is expecting a platoon at second base based on whoever is hitting. Carissa Griffin and Jaci Shepherd have split time through the non-district portion of the Lady Eagles’ schedule.
“Both are relatively new to the position. That position is going to have to have quality at-bats: being able to move runners; being able to work counts; being able to hit quality pitching. We’re going to ride the hot-hand there. When it gets down to late game situations it’ll come down to who can be where they’re supposed to be and make the plays they’re supposed to make. That could fluctuate with the peaks and valleys throughout the season but the easy answer on who will start is whoever is hot.”
Davis has shown a smooth transition from second to shortstop, replacing Bree Zellers. She’s moved up in the lineup as the No. 2 hitter for the Lady Eagles and has not missed a beat, hitting at a .489 clip with two doubles, a homer, 12 RBI, 26 runs scored and seven steals.
“She’s got a leadership role as one of the captains. When replacing leadership roles with kids who haven’t been leaders before, they tend to use the ‘lead by example’ approach early in their leadership. She’s doing that with her preparation and ability to take coaching by working on footwork and hand-placement defensively. The defensive responsibilities from shortstop are vast and she was such a good defensive player at second base that her approach to that going over to shortstop has been pretty much as expected from her. She goes in there every single day and tries to get better and work on being more efficient. The pleasant spot has been her approach at the plate. Trying not to get herself out and being the two-hole that we need to make our lineup go. She’s been doing that so far and she’s been rewarded by her repeated success.”
Kinley Marek broke out as a freshman last season, earning a spot at third for Holliday with a great glove in the hot-corner. Through 16 games, she’s hitting at a blistering .510 clip with nine doubles, 20 RBI and seven runs scored.
“You’re going to get the biggest jump from every kid that I’ve coached from their freshman to sophomore years. You’re going to see the most improvement and most growth in their athletic ability. She’s been versatile. She’s caught behind the plate for us and pitched for us but she’s solid at third base. She has that same mature approach of how are they trying to get me out and what do I need to do with pitches where they’re located. She was ahead in that aspect as a freshman and I expect to see another big jump as she goes into her sophomore year. Her biggest enemy is Kinley Marek.”
Holliday’s outfield boasts a pair of all-staters and, in all likelihood, is the best in the state at the 3A level. With Sydney Linn in left, Evelyn Perkins in center and Payton Murray in right, the trio has proved time and again that they can hit and field with anyone they match up with on the diamond. All three earned a spot on last year’s Archer County News Diamond Dozen squad.
“All three of them are centerfielders. It’s nice that we have the protection in the corners defensively from Sydney and Payton. They are a legitimate three outfielder system.”
Linn earned all-state honors after a dominant season in left for Holliday. She’s shown she can be a true five-tool player in left, hitting for contact and power while showing speed, a strong arm and a great glove. Currently she’s hitting .577 with two homers, 24 RBI and 28 runs scored.
“Sydney’s shown maturity at the plate. The only person that’s going to get Sydney out at the plate is Sydney. She’s got one of the best two-strike approaches of any player I’ve had in my softball coaching experience. You’ll get her out if she gets herself out. You’re going to have to make a really quality pitch or get some help from the umpire.”
Perkins is back in center as a four-year starter and all-state performer a season ago. At the top of the Lady Eagles lineup, she’s got speed to burn and is coming off a 46 steal, 57 run campaign.
“Evelyn’s got a big leadership role. She’s got to be able to take her personal accolades and failures and lead the team on in a forward direction. When she has success, it’s humbling to try and make sure the rest of the team has that success; when she’s struggling, she still has to put the team first. We go as she goes. When she gets on base, bad things happen for the other team. She can turn a six-foot single into a triple in two pitches. She has that ability and the team understand what makes us go and what gets us fired up. The chances are really high that when Evelyn gets on that Holliday scores a run.”
Murray has shown a knack for the dramatics, whether it be timely hitting or hosing runners in her time with the Lady Eagles. Few around the state can match the passion and joy the Holliday senior plays the game with. She makes a move up the lineup to drive more runners in after hitting .458 with three homers and 38 RBI a season ago.
“Offensively, Payton moves into a key position on our team as someone that’s going to hit with a lot of pressure on them, a lot of runners on base ahead of her. If she can stay within her approach and what makes her successful, she does a lot of good things for us. She’s our barometer. She can pick us up when things are down and give us the energy when we need the energy. The leadership role with her on our team is making sure that we’re following her lead.”
Freshman Carly Duggins has been an early brightspot for Holliday in the DP role. While making spot starts in the circle, Duggins has proven already to be an offensive threat opponents must account for. She’s hitting .462 with six doubles and 12 RBI through her first 15 games on varsity.
“I have growing confidence every day in Carly. Coming in as a freshman and being a part of a team that takes softball seriously and there’s a lot of work ethic going on within that group. She has that work ethic. She comes from putting a lot of time, effort and repetitions on trying to be good. It’s just her being comfortable being around an older group by pulling her part of the rope. The older kids are very accepting of her and what she can be to our team. She gets to pitch next to Addi every day in practice which is only going to make her better. She reminds me of a Marshal Gillit-type with her pitching style so she’s going to pair good with an Addison Lindemann/Kinley Marek-type. The future is bright for her because she puts the bat on the ball and in our sport, that dog hunts.”
One of the unique weapons the Lady Eagles have is senior Caroline Case. She serves as the courtesy runner for Lindemann when the pitcher gets on. Last year she was second on the team with 27 steals and boasts seven swipes to her credit this season.
“Caroline can do a lot of things for us. It’s her approach to teaching the younger kids in our program that are runner-only what they can be for our team. I appreciate what she gives to our team and what she gives to us in practice. I would like to think on gameday when it comes to seeing certain pressure situations, it makes us better by what she does in practice.”
Arbogast praised senior Jazmine Diaz for her work within the program.
“Jazmine Diaz is my unsung hero like Jordan McRae last year. It’s the uniqueness of that senior to go out and do it the right way every single time. You don’t have to worry about somebody like that. She’s always ready when the time is called.”
With the versatility, talent and coaching Holliday has to offer, there’s no reason not to expect this team won’t be playing in June.
