The North Butler softball team finished the 2024 season at 5-19 overall and 2-14 in the Top of Iowa East. The Bearcats fielded a young team this year after graduating seven seniors last season.
North Butler struggled early, and was 0-9 before recording its first win over Hampton-Dumont-CAL on June 6.
Head Coach Austin Guerrero says in-game reps were valuable for his young team.
“Different people in different positions this year and a lot of girls stepped up to the challenge early and often,” says Guerrero. “Towards the end of the year we kind of found a lineup that clicked best for us and rolled with it. We played some of our best softball as the year turned into the postseason. For us the amount of reps we got every day was huge for us, learning on the go and getting more comfortable each and every day with our approach. I thought our girls really did that well as the season went on.”
Key returners include freshman all-conference pitcher Kamri Groen, who led the team with a 6.29 ERA and 102 strikeouts; and all-conference eighth grader Zoey Thompson, who batted .368 and recorded 20 stolen bases.
Guerrero says the program is ready to take the next step.
“It’s about taking the next step now. That’s our approach to softball and our team motto moving forward. What can we do to take that leap? We don’t wanna just be where we’re at and become complacent. We wanna take that next step, be a contender in our conference and really battle the top tier teams. When you come down to Allison, we want people to understand, it’s gonna be a fight and that our girls play the game the right way. Our bats are improved and we can put runs on the board to compete with anybody.”
North Butler won two of its final three games of the season, including a first round postseason win over Rockford.
The Bearcats, after graduating no seniors, and are projected to return their entire roster next season.
