Bernie junior exhibits toughness, talent in leading Mules to SCAA title

Veteran Bernie High School coach Brad Botsch doesn’t have a senior on his 2023 softball team this spring, but he has a junior, Abbygail Powell, who plays like one.

“Abby is not the best vocal leader,” Botsch said recently. “But she leads by example, and her example is pretty good.”

Powell set a “pretty good” example in recently leading the Mules (6-11) to their first Stoddard County Athletic Association Tournament championship since 2019.

In three games, when she was popping out a joint in her arm while sliding into a base, Powell totaled nine quality at-bats, played incredible defense as Bernie’s catcher, and exhibited a painful-to-watch amount of toughness, as she stopped errant pitches with her body, dove around to get to balls, and took foul tips off of herself.

“She gets hit by a pitch,” Botsch said of Powell following a semifinal win over Dexter. “She is diving around back there, and then picks off (at first base) the last player to finish the game.”

Against the Bearcats, Powell paced Bernie with three hits, three RBI, and a pair of runs, which was impressive given she injured her arm sliding into third base early in the game.

“I heard it pop,” Botsch said of Powell’s arm. “We examined her, had a couple of people look at her, and she sat there and gathered herself a little bit.

“She felt OK after a bit. It was just a real gutsy performance, and she is a tough kid.”

And a talented one, too.

As a freshman, Powell played in the outfield for the Mules.

“She’d be our best outfielder if I put her out there,” Botsch said.

And she is athletic enough to also have played shortstop earlier in her career and played some second base in the tournament opener against Puxico. However, Powell is so steady at catcher, aside from a blowout game, Botsch wants her behind the plate.

“She helps our pitchers,” Botsch said. “She does a good job framing the ball. She’s got a strong arm.”

To look at Powell, you wouldn’t think that, initially.

She is built more like an Olympic figure skater, more so than a catcher, but when the final Bearcat baserunner got too far off first base in the tourney game, Powell gunned her down before the crowd could even realize what had happened.

Heading into that game, Botsch said: She is three out of four in (throwing out) her last four steal attempts.

“It is more of a leadership position,” Botsch said of Powell’s catching. “You need somebody back there that can kind of call the shots and see the field.”

The Mules closed out the tourney with a 12-6 win over Woodland, which culminated in an incredible three days by several Mules, Powell included.

In the tournament, she totaled seven runs on five hits, drove in seven runs, and against the Cardinals, drew three walks.

“She is going to hit the ball well,” Botsch said, “and she is going to field the ball well.”

The Mules will host Delta (4-6) today at 4:30 p.m.