The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The West Central Middle School softball team made history this past weekend! In only the second year of the school's program, the girls earned third place in the 1A State Softball Tournament at Champion Fields in Normal.
The day began Friday with a pep assembly at the school. All of the staff and student body lined the street out front to send the bus off which was escorted by local police and fire departments. Community members crowded the streets of the business district cheering and waving as the caravan made its way to the north campus where all of the students and staff there lined the sidewalks to cheer on the team.
Fans were seen in Biggsville, Rozetta, and even Monmouth where more police were ready to lead the caravan through town.
School was dismissed early on Friday to allow staff and students to attend the game. Mrs. Markey and Mrs. Lafary chaperoned a fan bus with around 35 middle school students who came and cheered on their favorite team!
West Central was well represented at the game against the Paris Crestwood Eagles.
Miley Stimpson allowed only 2 hits in the shutout game and struck out 15. Rebecca Hinshaw, Lainey Klossing, Rylie Ferguson, and Stimpson had one hit each in the 4-0 win advancing the team to the Final Four the next day.
The Heat battled the Corpus Christi Saints of Bloomington in the semi-final game Saturday morning. Unfortunately the Saints gained an early lead and West Central was unable to recover.
Kaylee Mills had the Heat's one hit in the game and Rylie Ferguson had one walk. The final score was 6-0.
After the loss, the Heat turned around to play the Pawnee Indians in the consolation game.
The offense came out fired up in the first inning. Miley Stimpson singled, scoring the first run of the game. The Heat had a total of seven hits with two each for Stimpson and Lauren Winters and 1 each for Rebecca Hinshaw, Kaylee Mills, and Payton Eisnnicher. Lainey Klossing and Rylie Ferguson each contributed with two walks in the game. Hinshaw led the team in RBIs with 2.
Stimpson faced 28 batters and allowed only 3 hits and 1 run for the Indians. The 5-1 victory earned the West Central Heat 3rd place in the 1A State tournament.
Team members are: Payton Link, Autumn Rankin, Rylie Ferguson, Delaney Endress, Brooklyn Eisnnicher, Rebecca Hinshaw, Ruby Gittings, Payton Eisnnicher, Lilly Higgins, Kaylee Mills, and Lauren Winters
Alex Bell-Canfield, Jenna Bewley, Lia Klossing, Addy Burrell, Lainey Klossing, Miley Stimpson, Londyn Parker, Kaylee Tomson, and Makaylah Swank.
Quotes from the Coaches:
"The 2021 season was one to remember. We stressed a "We Not Me" stance from day one and the kids bought in! They did a great job understanding it's not about themselves, it's about the team! Even for some adults, that's a hard value to understand. We were out there in the heat, rain and wind while staying focused throughout the year! They never let the game get too big. They focused on each pitch in order to be successful! We couldn't be more proud of our leadership this year and when it was most needed, those leaders stepped up. We can't thank the players enough for buying in day one! They worked hard and tried everyday to do what was right. The Softball Program can't thank the players, the players families, community and West Central School District enough for all the time and effort they put in making this year special. The kids won't remember the games they played. They will remember their teammates, the bus rides and the experiences the community put forth to make them feel special! We can't thank you guys enough! Every player left all their energy on that field on the very last day! We asked for energy, effort and a positive attitude all year and they did just that! You honestly couldn't have asked for a better group of true teammates for our 2nd year program! From top to bottom there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into this season!"
-Coach Swiler
"Our coaching staff couldn't be more proud of our young athletes. These young ladies went above and beyond what we asked of them. They didn't strive to be perfect but to be better. We asked the girls to pay attention to the details. To be disciplined and not forget about the little things. They did a great job with our coaching staff and buying in to our WE not ME team philosophy. The girls supported each other during practice and games. They were very unselfish on how we had success. We gave each other all that we had. The result to that was 3rd place at the IESA middle school state softball tournament. Our success didn't stop short of the players and coaching staff. We would like to thank the student body at West Central Middle School for their huge support of our team. From the pep rallies to the bus trip to state they were amazing in their support of us.
We would also like to thank the administration at West Central school district for their support during the season and our journey to the state tournament. The parents of our players were endless in their support of our team. So many details were involved in our playoff run. We can't thank you enough for the help on our journey. Last but not least the fans and friends of the West Central community were absolutely amazing in their support of the team. You made us feel very special on our run to the state tournament. The welcoming home celebrations are something we will never forget."
-Coach Voyles
3rd Place State Winners: Back row from left to right are: Payton Link, Autumn Rankin, Rylie Ferguson, Delaney Endress, Brooklyn Eisnnicher, Rebecca Hinshaw, Ruby Gittings, Payton Eisnnicher, Lilly Higgins, Kaylee Mills, and Lauren Winters. In the front row from left are: Alex Bell-Canfield, Jenna Bewley, Lia Klossing, Addy Burrell, Lainey Klossing, Miley Stimpson, Londyn Parker, Kaylee Tomson, and Makaylah Swank