Bulldogs ready for state drive

Last season, the Notre Dame softball team advanced further than any Bulldogs squad before it, finishing third in Class 3.

Now the Bulldogs are ready to take the next step.

At 24-2, the Bulldogs are steamrolling their way into the district playoffs in search of the program's first state title. Notre Dame, the top seed, will begin district play Friday against the winner of the Ste. Genevieve-Windsor game at West City Park in Festus.

"We really want to win it," junior Bailey Reutzel said. "We're set on that goal."

Notre Dame has nearly its entire lineup back from last year. The Bulldogs have reached at least the quarterfinal round three of the last four years. They were eliminated in the district tournament two years ago.

Bulldogs coach Jeff Graviett said his team is not looking past the district tournament.

"We've been trying to talk this week about winning one game at a time," he said. "They haven't talked a lot about state. They know there's work to do."

Notre Dame, which is one victory shy of the school record of 25 wins in a season, has a team batting average of .381, led by freshmen Paris Burger (.462) and Erika Reinagel (.459). The team ERA is 1.00, and the Bulldogs have committed only 20 errors in 25 games.

"We've played some good softball," Graviett said. "Only one team's beaten us twice [Class 4 Poplar Bluff]. We've played well in all aspects of the game. We can play the speed game with you; we can play the power game with you. The pitching and defense have been there all year."

Added Reutzel: "I think we've just done everything well. We work well together. We manufacture runs and hits and we play great defense."

First baseman Kristain Burger has a .444 batting average, a team-high 29 RBIs and four home runs. She hit three home runs in one day at the Incarnate Word Tournament. During a single inning of Notre Dame's quarterfinal game at Incarnate Word, Burger smacked two home runs -- a solo shot and a grand slam.

"She's fairly big in stature," Graviett said of the 5-foot-10 junior. "She swings hard. She hits a lot of long foul balls, and she has a lot of pop. And she's only going to get better. She's a tough out."

At the top of the order, the Bulldogs have received big contributions from Reinagel and Paris Burger. Both players can bunt for hits and add an element of speed. Reinagel and Paris Burger are tied for the team high in runs scored with 26, and Paris Burger leads the team with 24 stolen bases.

"The speed has changed everything," pitcher Beth Schnurbusch said.

Overall, the team has 90 stolen bases, while six players have scored at least 20 runs. Heather Menz, Notre Dame's No. 7 hitter, is second on the team with 28 RBIs, followed by Reutzel (25) and Miranda Schlosser (24).

Graviett said Notre Dame's ability to get runners on base at the top of the order has been a key.

"This game's all about who scores first," Graviett said. "That puts a lot of pressure on them. If you can get up three or four runs, that changes the other team's game plan."

Schnurbusch, a junior, leads the team in wins with a 14-0 record. Schlosser is 7-1 with a team-best 0.54 ERA. It appears Schnurbusch, who sports a 1.15 ERA in a team-high 97 innings pitched, will lead the staff through the playoffs this season.

"Right now Beth's probably throwing the ball best," Graviett said. "Last year Miranda got hot around this time. We're really comfortable with what Beth's doing now. One thing with Beth is she's worked her tail off. She knows her opportunity to play is as a pitcher."

Added Schnurbusch: "I've felt very good so far this year. I just hope I can keep going. I think I have a little more confidence on the mound."

Some of Schnurbusch's confidence likely comes from pitching in front of a near-flawless defense. The Bulldogs have a .973 fielding percentage.

"We're just doing a great job defensively," Graviett said. "These girls take a lot of pride in that. As good as our pitchers are, they're not strikeout pitchers. We have to have that defense to be successful."

Kelly, Chaffee high seeds

Kelly, the defending Class 2 state champion, will enter the Class 2 District 5 tournament as the top seed.

The Hawks are 16-10 despite going through some growing pains after losing many of last year's starters. Kelly will play eighth-seeded Clearwater today at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.

Chaffee, playing in just its second district tournament after starting fall softball last year, is the top seed in Class 1 District 1. The Red Devils (9-6) will play either Delta or Naylor on Friday.

Central and Jackson both will open Class 4 District 1 play at Poplar Bluff on Wednesday. Central will face Sikeston, and Jackson will play defending district champion Hillsboro.