Iola lost a pair of games to Santa Fe Trail on Tuesday, falling 3-1 and 7-6 in nine innings, but that is not the first thing that Iola coach Chris Weide will take away from his evening at Riverside Park.
The Fillies had the chance to pay tribute to a pair of seniors who have given a lot to the program and played their final high school home games.
Ashlie Shields has been the starting catcher every game until Tuesday when she was forced to sit out after suffering a concussion last week against Wellsville when she took multiple foul tips off of her catcher’s mask.
It is safe to say that Shields embodies the type of athlete and individual that Weide hopes to cultivate for his softball team.
“We missed the heart and soul of our team tonight,” Weide said. “She is our leader.”
Almost in the same breath, Weide gave high compliments to outfielder Kersia Brunner.
While Shields was earning preseason attention and it was clear from the beginning what her role would be for the team, Brunner’s role was not as obvious.
“She started out in the backdrop early in the year,” Weide said. “She didn’t get a lot of playing time. She didn’t start.”
She started the year as a backup in the outfield behind younger players sophomore Scout Rush, junior Toni Macha and freshman Madisyn Holloway.
As a senior, Brunner appeared poised to play on a team that prized its youth during Weide’s first year as coach.
For much of the first part of the season Brunner was stuck on the sidelines.
The senior had two choices. Either wait patiently and keep proving her worth or get discouraged and give up.
Luckily for the Fillies, she chose the former.
Brunner worked hard in practice to impress her coaches and eventually earned a right field platoon role with Macha.
“She came to every practice and worked her tail off,” Weide said. “She had quality at-bats when she did get into the game and ended up earning a starting spot, spliting with Macha.”
Then on Thursday, with Shields missing the game and the Fillies lineup shuffled, Brunner started both games in the outfield. She was the only senior Filly in uniform.
