Community support ‘means a lot’ to Henry softball: Supersectional softball notebook

The Henry-Senachwine softball team received a lot of support from the community during its postseason run.

Fans lined the streets of Henry on Friday when the Mallards returned from winning their first sectional championship, and the stands were packed for Henry’s 2-0 loss to Dakota in Monday’s Class 1A Sterling Supersectional.

“It means a lot,” Henry senior catcher Kaitlyn Anderson said. “The community is a family. We play for more than just the people in the dugout. We play for the people in the stands. They mean a lot to us. A lot of people in the stands helped us get to the point we are whether it’s past players, parents our baseball boys who had the whole team come to support us.

“It means a lot and it brings a lot more energy to it. But that’s just the kind of community Henry is, so I wouldn’t say I’m surprised.”

LEADING THE WAY

The Mallards had a strong group of seniors leading the way to a record-breaking season in which they won back-to-back regional titles for the first time, captured the program’s first sectional championship and set a new standard for wins with 25.

Henry had four seniors, and all four started, with Lauren Harbison as the team’s ace pitcher, Kaitlyn Anderson behind the plate, Rylan Davis at first base and Lexi Serpette in right field. The Mallards also lose team manager Emily Culp.

“The seniors are people I’ve been playing with since we’ve been 9, 10 years old,” Kaitlyn Anderson said. “We’ve built more than our skills, we’ve built a bond, and I think that’s what carried us here. Lauren brought a lot to this program, setting records and setting expectations. Rylan, Lexi and me, all of us being starters for a couple years, it just sets good expectations. They’re all great leaders and I’m just glad to lead beside them. We teach each other a lot and we team the underclassmen a lot. They’re definitely a big impact on the program and there’s definitely going to be shoes to fill next year, for sure.”

Henry coach Lori Stenstrom said the senior class will be missed.

“These seniors have led us from junior high all the way through to make this program better,” Stenstrom said. “We’ve gotten better and better when they were in high school. Those four kids love softball. They love coming to practice. You love to have kids like that.

“They’re great leaders. You love having that group and you hate to see them go.”

IT CAN BE DONE

Kaitlyn Anderson said she hopes the 2025 team can be used as an example to future Henry squads that advancing to state is possible after this year’s Mallards came within a game of the state semifinals.

“I think this season means more to the program just being a steppingstone for teams to come,” Kaitlyn Anderson said. “I think somebody will come through Henry and do it for us and pick us up.

“Just making it to know that a Henry team can do it means a lot to the program.”

STRONG CORE BACK

While the Mallards lose four talented seniors, they’ll bring back five starters in juniors Rachel Eckert (left field) and Brooklynn Thompson (third base), sophomore Brynna Anderson (second base) and freshman Gaspardo (shortstop) and Bella Williams (center field).

Junior Harper Schrock and freshman Addy Robbins also contributed as the designated player.

AMONG THE BEST

Advancing to the supersectional and finishing as one of the final eight teams in Class 1A obviously makes Henry among the state’s best.

But the Mallards have some other season highlights that prove that, as well.

Henry’s only loss to a Class 1A team this season was to Dakota in the supersectional. The Mallards’ three regular-season losses came to 2A teams, with a pair of losses to Seneca, which finished 34-2 and was a sectional finalist, and a 1-0, eight-inning loss to Bureau Valley.

In conference play, the Mallards swept 2A sectional finalist St. Bede and 1A sectional finalist Marquette.

In the postseason, Henry beat Annawan-Wethersfield on its home field in the regional final and knocked off defending state champion Ridgewood on its home field in the sectional semifinal.

GOLD GLOVE DEFENSE

Eckert came up with several key defensive plays for the Mallards in left field Monday.

In the fourth inning, Eckert snagged a hard line drive for the second out then chased down a fly ball in foul territory near the fence to end the inning.

Eckert also hustled in to catch a pop-up in shallow left field for the second out in the seventh inning.

“Rachel played really well,” Stenstrom said. “She had that line drive that was a nice catch and then had that ball coming in [shallow left] between [shortstop] Emma Kay [Gaspardo] and her. She had some action out there and did a very good job.”

SISTERLY LOVE

Kaitlyn Anderson said she enjoyed playing with her younger sister, Brynna, a sophomore, the past two seasons.

The Anderson sisters batted next to each other in the lineup with Kaitlyn in the No. 3 spot and Brynna in the cleanup role.

Brynna Anderson drove in Harbison and her sister with a double for Henry’s only runs in its 2-1 sectional final victory.

“She’s a great teammate,” Kaitlyn Anderson said. “She brings out the best in me, for sure. She’s probably going to be the thing I miss most about high school. She’s a great player. As a sophomore, she’s already so developed. She’s so mentally calmed. She’s my calm. She keeps me in the zone. She was the reason I think I got that good base hit [in the sixth inning of the supersectional], just talking to her before. Her following me, I know somebody is going to pick me up no matter what happens. She’s a big part of this team, and she’s going to continue to be a big part of the program.

“I’m excited to watch her, and I’m super proud of her today.”

‘BORDER COLLIES ROCK’

Following a win over St. Bede on April 29, Stenstrom was asked in an interview if she wanted to add anything else.

“Border collies rock,” Stenstrom said with a smile.

Kaitlyn Anderson and Harbison ended their interviews the same way that day, and the Mallards kept it up as a running joke through the playoffs with Stenstrom and every player ending interviews that way.

Even after Monday’s season-ending loss, Kaitlyn Anderson ended her interview with, “Border collies rock!”