The Barton Community College softball team has been picked second according to league member coaches for the upcoming 2022 KJCCC Conference Division I season.
Guiding the Cougars into his fifth season, Head Coach Tyler Gunelson has reloaded the Cougars from a runner-up Region VI finish last season, completing the season 21-27 and a fourth place 12-15 conference mark.
Defending conference and region champion Butler Community College topped the poll with Hutchinson Community College and Colby Community College trailing the Cougars in the third and fourth slot respectively.
The Cougars replace all-conference selections Madison Faylor and Brooke McCollough, starters Makayla Chavez, Kaylee Milligan, and pitcher Ashlee Lucero but return four of their five in the top of the lineup and two on their pitching staff.
Headlining the returners for the 2021 season is pitcher Kayla Beers. Developing throughout her freshman campaign, Beers delivered when the Cougars needed her the most in the Region VI Tournament. Gaining valuable pressure situational pitching by working 27.2 innings in three days of the region tournament, Beers earned three victories in the stretch to complete the year 12-7 with a save.
The Cougars' offensive production returns two key members, leadoff Kennedee Lara and clean-up hitter Teegan Krol.
Lara batted .335 on the season as the starting second baseman for 43 of her 48 games played collected a team second best 53 hits including a team leading four triples.
Krol anchored the top four of the lineup, tying for the team lead with 8 home runs while second on the squad with a .376 batting average, 38 runs batted in, and 82 total bases.
Gunelson's new look Cougars include the addition of pitcher Jessica Morgan of Lewistown, Montana, and catcher Veronica Elsis from Longmont, Colarado.
Barton begins its 2022 season February 11-12 in Harrison, Arkansas, before hosting its first of eleven home dates on the slate with a February 16 1:00 p.m. doubleheader versus the junior varsity squad of Central Christian College.
Following a weekend trip to Oklahoma (February 18-19), the Cougars will have one additional home non-conference twin bill on February 22 hosting Bethany College JV before welcoming Garden City Community College to Cougar Field on February 26 to open up conference play.