Lindbergh Softball Program Remains Strong

A group of six seniors with last season's Lindbergh softball team knew nothing other than playing for a district championship.

The Flyers had played in the district final in 2007, 2008 and 2009, but missed out last season, falling in extra innings in the district semifinal against Cor Jesu.

That was a tough way to end the high school careers of those seniors, but it didn’t detract from another solid season by the Flyers, who finished 16-11 and 4-4 in the tough Suburban West Conference.

Lindbergh, off to an 8-5 start in the 2011 season thus far, certainly misses players such as Andrea Klipsch and Jessica Nieder. Klipsch, who is now at Truman State University, was 11-7 on the mound with a 2.10 ERA and was one of the most dangerous hitters in the area with a .462 average and seven homers and 37 RBI. Nieder, who is at Meramec, hit .449 with two homers and 22 RBI.

"That senior group accomplished a lot and we are now left with a gap in the program," said Lindbergh coach Darin Scott, who begins his 10th season as manager.

"We are definitely in a transition period. I feel that we have some quality freshmen who can fill some roles. We do not have the same kind of power, explosion and speed that we have had in the past, but I also feel that we have more consistent hitters up and down the lineup than we have had in a while.

"Another strength is the versatility of the team. We have several players who can play multiple positions."

Scott does have the luxury of having a pitcher returning with varsity experience. Junior southpaw Sarah Reinsel was 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA last season. She walked only eight batters in 50.3 innings while striking out 33. Reinsel is off to a 7-3 start this season with nine complete games and a 3.42 ERA.

"Sarah is a solid pitcher who will keep us in a lot of games," Scott said.

The Flyers did lose their big bats in Klipsch and Nieder but return three starters who hit over .300 in 2010.

Senior center fielder Maggie Wright hit .346 and drove in 16 runs. Senior catcher Brittany Miller hit .337 and had 17 RBI while senior second baseman Abby Nestor, who will likely lead off or hit second in the lineup, batted .309.

Nestor is batting .455 this season on a team-best 20 hits.

"Those three girls are proven varsity players," Scott said. "Now we need to try to find a mix of freshmen and sophomores to go along with them."

That group includes sophomore shortstop Maggie McCune, freshman outfielder/first baseman Brittany Stevens and freshman third baseman Taylor Poole.

"We play a very tough schedule and you don't really have time to rebuild in high school softball," Scott said.

"It may take some time but I think we can surprise some people. I just want to be competitive with every team we play. It would be a great accomplishment to be a few games over .500 with this schedule."