Junior high players moving up, expected to contribute to Dongola softball success

The Dongola High School softball team will field a youthful team this spring. 

“We’ll be young, but it won’t be necessarily rebuilding,” Dongola softball coach Barry Keller said. “We’ve got some players on the team who were pretty good in junior high last year.”

Several members of the Dongola junior high softball team last season advanced all the way to the Class 3 junior high school state tournment.

Some of the freshmen Keller will be counting on this season are shortstop Brooklyn Hogue, third baseman Melanie Altamirano, right fielder/utility player Jamie Anderson, center fielder Hailey Ames and second baseman Magali Zavala.

There are no seniors on the squad and only two juniors: catcher Megan Theis and first baseman Dailee Cummins.

Sophomores in the mix are left fielder Annabelle Durham; utility players Natasha Cosenza, Nichole Reed and Michelle Wolford; and pitcher Maddie Keller.

Keller, who was the main pitcher last season, will handle the pitching duties this season as well.

Keller feels the team has a lot of potential to score some runs.

In the South Egyptian Conference race, Keller sees the main contenders as Elverado, Cobden, Century and the Lady Demons.

Dongola was to have opened its season earlier this week against Meridian and plays Saturday, March 16, at home against Gallatin County.