ROGERS -- Before the season started, Rogers High softball coach Mike Harper was hoping that a solid and experienced senior class, mixed in with some talented underclassmen, would be a winning formula.
That proved to be the case for the Lady Mounties.
Rogers (21-8) opened 7A-West Conference play with a convincing win against Springdale Har-Ber, and the Lady Mounties would win their first 12 league games, including beating Bentonville twice in extra innings, to win the 7A-West Conference championship.
For his efforts, Harper is the All-Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Softball Coach of the Year.
"We started off really well, and I knew we had a chance to be pretty good," he said. "For our kids, beating Bentonville the first time, I think they started to believe a little more. To go 13-1 in conference is pretty remarkable, actually."
Rogers had a potent one-two pitching combination in the graduated Haylee Zimmerman and rising senior Maddie Massanelli, and an offense that ended the season with five starters batting above .300. The team batting average was .308.
"We continued to get timely hitting throughout the year, and we got better defensively as the year went on," Harper said. "Our seniors, they are all good softball players. But they are also great people. I was proud of them on and off the field. I was proud of them in the classroom."
Harper said the pieces are in place to try and repeat as league champions next spring, but he knows that will be a tough road.
"We have a lot of good people coming back," Harper said. "We have a really good freshman class coming in. We have a legitimate chance to be good."
Sports on 06/12/2015