Green Wave Softball off to a hot start in summer schedule

MALDEN, MO -As the summer months start to heat up, so does Malden’s softball.

The Green Wave squad are off to a 6-1 summer season record after having their spring season cut short at the second round of the Missouri Class 2 District 1 championships.

The summer schedule started on May 20, where the Green wave went on a five-game win streak. They picked up their first and only loss of the summer so far on May 30 against Bernie, who was a Final Four team at the Missouri State Championships. They were only outscored by one run, losing 8 to 7.

Along with the varsity team at Malden, the junior varsity softball squad are also competing in summer games with an even .500 record.

According to head coach Kyle Jones, he is proud of both his varsity and junior varsity squads competing this summer.

“We have a few junior high players on jv who are seeing high school pitchers for the first time so it has been a bit of an adjustment,” Jones said. “If they stay consistent, they will score a lot of points. Varsity is playing really well. I’m really proud of how we are looking.”

In the spring season, the team suffered from a few injuries to key players. They finished with a 14-17 record.

However, right after the school year ended, Jones got his team back into the routine of competing.  He hopes to come back stronger next season with the potential he notices this summer.

The goal for Jones this summer is to see how he will fill the holes from his seniors he lost and set up for the spring season. He said it’s a good test to see everyone’s skill set.

“I have an idea of how the team will look but the summer gives me a chance to put it all together and see how we look overall as a team,” Jones said. “I just want to see where everyone fits in by trying out different positions. I’m glad we’re winning this summer but it’s not about that, it’s about where I can place everyone in the spring.”

Green Wave will be returning one of their star pitchers, Alyssa Broom. Broom has All-Conference, All-District and All-Region honors her freshman and sophomore seasons. Now, heading into her junior year at Malden, Jones said she has been pitching really well during the summer months so far.

Jones has also noted a group of freshmen who he hopes will make a huge impact on varsity in their rookie season. This includes Harper Murphy who has made a significant impact defensively this summer. Along with Murphy, he notes Anna Lane as a good pitcher and Bella Fowler making a lot of contributions.

“I see them being huge additions for us,” Jones said. “That whole freshman group is really solid and I’m looking forward to seeing how they do in their first year.”

The summer schedule includes five more games for the Green Wave including two more home appearances. Malden will play Bernie on June 10 at 4p.m. and Portageville on June 20 at 4p.m.