With seven starters back from its Class 1A state championship team, the expectations couldn’t be higher for the St. Bede softball team entering the 2024 season.

“The ultimate goal is obviously getting to state every year,” St. Bede coach Shawn Sons said. “Winning it last year, we do have a little bit more experience knowing what it takes. It’s not an easy task, but it’s something we always shoot for every year. We’re just going to take it game by game, try to get better, learn from our mistakes and see where we end up at the end of the year.

“The girls coming in were super eager to get after it. The amount of work they’re putting in right now, they’re not satisfied. They want to get back to state again this year, so that’s awesome to see.”

If the Bruins hope to repeat as state champions, however, they’ll have to do it in a higher class as, they’ve been bumped up to Class 2A.

“You have to play who you have to play,” Sons said. “A lot of girls play travel ball, and there’s girls mixed from 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A in travel ball. What they see in the summer and transitioning into high school ball, I really don’t know if there’s that big of a difference going from 1A to 2A. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a lot more repeat successful programs you’re going to have to contend with. We’re going to play who we have to play, play our best game every time we go out and see what we can do.”

Senior pitchers/infielders Ella Hermes and Reagan Stoudt once again will lead the Bruins after earning Illinois Coaches Association All-State first-team honors last spring.

“The girls coming in were super eager to get after it. The amount of work they’re putting in right now, they’re not satisfied. They want to get back to state again this year, so that’s awesome to see.”

—  Shawn Sons, St. Bede coach

Last season, Hermes was 11-1 with an area-best 1.46 ERA along with 149 strikeouts, while Stoudt was 10-2 with a 2.70 ERA and 138 strikeouts.

Hermes and Stoudt will be throwing to senior catcher Bella Pinter once again.

“It’s a really great situation to have,” Sons said. “The whole battery is back. The batteries are huge in softball. They’ve come back even stronger than ever. I’ve seen more velocity, more spin. Their control is really, really good. They can really hit their spots. Bella is a coach on the field behind the plate and really knows those two pitchers after catching them for all the years through travel ball and high school. It’s seamless. It’s just a perfect combination.”

The defense behind the star pitchers will be similar to last season, as well.

Maddy Dalton will play first base; Maci Kelly steps in at second base; Hermes can play shortstop or third base when not pitching; Stoudt will be at third base when not pitching; Lily Bosnich can play second, short or third; Macy Hartt takes over in left field; Emma Slingsby moves from left to center; and Tessa Dugosh returns in right.

Pinter could see time at second, short, third and center field.

Bailey Engels will see time in the outfield, Lily McClain can play catcher or middle infield, and Jillian Pinter could see time at first, third or left.

Quinn McClain and Ava Balestri, who both contributed last season, are injured.

“We’ve got seven starters back from last year’s team, and that definitely gives us a lot of confidence, a lot of experience,” Sons said. “That’s a really big advantage. We’re very versatile, very athletic.

“We have a lot of players who can play a lot of different positions, which helps us as a coaching staff. Our softball IQ is off the charts.”

Offensively, Slingby will move into the leadoff spot to replace Addie Bontz, an ICA All-State second-team pick.

Hermes (.413, 38 R, 26 RBI, 12 2B) will bat second followed by Pinter, Stoudt (.505, 29 R, 36 RBI, 6 HR), Kelly, Dalton, Dugosh, Hartt and Bosnich when she’s not running track.

“It’s going to look very similar to last year,” Sons said about the lineup. “There’s not going to be too many changes, especially compared to where we ended up at the end of the year. We still have speed, power, consistency throughout the lineup. It’s going to be very difficult to pitch around us. From what I’ve seen early in the cage, our power is really good. I’m really happy with it.”

Before St. Bede begins its quest for another state title, the Bruins will compete against a different schedule in the regular season as they move to the Tri-County Conference.

“The Tri-County has some good teams,” Sons said. “We’re going to have to play our best game every game out because coming off a state championship, you’re going to have that bull’s eye on your back. Everybody’s going to be gunning for you.”