Going back into the 1980s, Woodland softball – and then Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell softball when their old Midstate Conference rivals joined the Warriors in the WFC co-op about a decade ago – almost always has brought a strong, experienced roster to the field on its way to another in a long line of winning seasons.
Although for some programs the season lost to COVID-19 totally disrupted the usual passing of the baton from experienced upperclassmen to varsity newcomers, for WFC the winning formula of mixing experience with youth that has produced winning 19 winning seasons out of the past 20 looks to still be firmly in place.
“It’s going to be a learning experience for some of them, but this team has that softball IQ. I think that’s going to benefit them, especially early on.”
— Woodland softball coach Jordan Farris
“I’m very happy with what we’ve got coming back,” coach Jordan Farris (ninth year, 88-59 record) said. “We return a good core that’s had two, three years of varsity experience. I hate that COVID took away a year from these girls ... and overall the varsity this year is young, and we’ll be filling things out with sophomores and freshmen.
“It’s going to be a learning experience for some of them, but this team has that softball IQ [from school as well as travel ball experience]. I think that’s going to benefit them, especially early on.
“We don’t have a whole lot of time in the preseason to get going.”
Although three members of The Times 2019 All-Area Softball team from WFC are gone to graduation – namely 2019 graduates Emily Friese and August Gillman as well as 2020 graduate Elise Kane – two still remain. They are First Team 1B/OF selection Sydnee Plesko (.524 batting average with 32 RBIs in 2019) and Second Team SS pick Audrey Jenkins (.407 with 23 RBIs in an Illinois Coaches Association All-State Third Team season).
“We’re looking for AJ and Syd to finish out their prep careers with a bang,” Farris said.
Also back are 2019 varsity starters Ella Sibert, a C/3B who batted .412 in 2019, and the versatile Jena Easton, “a spark plug with the bat,” Farris said.
Newcomers to the varsity starting lineup and/or the varsity in general will fill things out from there. That includes utility players Jenny Leskanich, Emma Highland, Clara Downey, Kaiden Connor, Alexis Manion and Cloee Johnston; 1B/P Kortney Harms; OF Peyton Bradbury; left-side IF Cheyenne Burns; and moving into the circle to take over the bulk of the pitching duties, P Shae Simons.
The season is scheduled to open Tuesday afternoon at home against Dwight, with additional highlights on the calendar including May 4 and May 6 Tri-County Conference showdowns with Seneca and a June 1, regular-season-ending doubleheader hosting Marquette.
How the Warriors come together as a team, Farris believes, will tell the story of their 2021 season.
“Some of these girls haven’t played in two years, and some haven’t missed a beat through COVID,” he said. “I’m looking to see how quickly we jell as a unit.
“I think success in terms of wins and losses can be deceiving sometimes. Look for us to be competitive, obviously, every game … but at the end of the day, it’s all about continuing and building the program. Hopefully, we have enough poise and experience so that when the postseason gets here we can have some success.
“But we’ve got to get there first.”