The 2020 season figured to be one of improvement for the Todd County Central Lady Rebels. After finishing the 2019 season at 9-17, the Lady Rebels returned several talented young players and looked to make some strides as the new season got underway. However, COVID-19 denied Todd County Central, and their returning seniors that opportunity.
The Lady Rebels graduated three players from the 2019 team. Rachel Bilyeu, Paige Rager, and Destiny Gilbert completed their eligibility. Rager saw action in 25 games for the Lady Rebels, while Bilyeu saw action in 24 and Gilbert in 17. The trio combined to drive in 41 runs for Todd Central in 2019. While the leadership roles of the senior trio would be difficult to replace, there was up and coming talent that resulted in hope for what could happen in 2020.
The Todd Central roster had four seniors for the 2020 season, with three of those seeing extensive action, and being a big part of the offense in 2019. Jordan Weathers hit .348 last season with 14 RBIs. Emma Harris batted .311 on the season with 3 home runs, 3 triples, 3 double, and 26 RBIs. Whitney Higgins also hit over .300, coming in at .308 for the season, with 8 doubles, 11 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 18 attempts. Alexis Andrews was the 4th senior on the roster, after not playing during the 2019 season.
In addition to the experience, there was young talent on the way up. Sophomore Sam Case hit .333 as a freshman. The biggest bat returning was freshman Abigail McPherson, who blistered opposing pitching with a .444 average in 2019. So the offense appeared ready to make big strides during 2020.
In the circle, the Lady Rebels were going to be deep with experience. Juniors Haylee Vass and Maddie Williams, along with McPherson, all started at least 8 games during 2019. McPherson figured to be ascending towards the #1 starter’s role, as she finished at the top of inning’s pitched for the Lady Rebels at 59.1, and had the most strikeouts with 52. However, Williams and Vass also figured to see signifcant time in the circle for Todd Central.
While the Lady Rebels finished 9-17 in 2019, four of those games were one run contests, that could have just as easily gone their way, which would have had them finishing at .500 for the year. With the returning experience, and the way the schedule shaped up for 2020, a winning season for the Lady Rebels would not have been out of reach.
However, we won’t get that chance to find out, and will have to wait until the spring of 2021 to see the Lady Rebels back on diamond. With that all said, we would like to pay tribute to the seniors:
Emma Harris
Jordan Weathers
Whitney Higgins
Alexis Andrews
