There is a price to pay for being consistently great and the Notre Dame softball team will find that out over the next three months.
The Bulldogs have long been unique in many ways, as they have strung together six 20-win seasons out of the past seven years. But veteran coach Jeff Graviett said his program is REALLY unique this year.
“We’re the only softball team in the state being bumped up TWO classes due to the championship factor,” Graviett said. “You have to take a little bit of pride in that.”
Notre Dame has competed in Class 3 in recent years but will move up to Class 5 this fall. The Bulldogs officially opened their 2020 season Monday and Graviett had his athletes being tested immediately by training in a heat index hovering around 100 degrees in the mid-afternoon sun.
Neither the weather nor the competition is going to intimidate this team, though.
“It is what it is,” Graviett said of the stiffer competition. “We’ve put those (Class 5) teams on the schedule ever since I’ve been here. Our schedule is set up to (face Class 5 teams). It’s just different opponents at the end of the year.”
The opposition will be different, but in some regards so will Notre Dame.
The Bulldogs won 27 of 33 games last season en route to Class 3 District and Sectional titles, and they did so with three senior starters (Riley Burger, Kristen Barwick, and Grace Lemons) contributing immensely.
Burger may have been the fastest athlete in MSHSAA softball and proved it by being caught stealing one time – in her entire career.
“You’ll never replace Riley, by no means,” Graviett said. “But we’ll have speed back at the top.”
Senior outfielder Caroline Lochmann is the candidate to lead the Bulldog batting order and Graviett has confidence in her.
“She was a big part of our team last year,” Graviett explained, “she just did it at the bottom of the order. She has some new shoes to fill. She can bunt (and) she can hit.”
Lochmann will hit from the right side, as opposed to the left-hitting Burger.
“That is a little bit different perspective,” Graviett said. “She had a real good summer hitting lead-off for her summer team, so we think she will carry that over for us.”
Then-Notre Dame freshman Ainsley Burnett had zero trouble in adjusting to high school pitching last season.
She had a school-record 55 RBIs on a .527 batting average and earned All-State Second Team recognition.
Her 58 hits were the most ever by a right-handed batter in Notre Dame history.
Graviett knows that bat will be in the lineup, but where Burnett is on the field remains up in the air this early in training camp.
Burnett will compete with seniors Carolina Heisserer and Harley Ressel at third base, where she played last season. However, to replace Barwick behind the plate, Graviett is considering both Burnett and junior Carolyne Cork.
“Ainsley can catch,” Graviett said, “but she can also play a good third base. She is a little versatile. She can play either one of those two positions.”
Notre Dame returns seniors in second baseman, Kalie Compas, outfielder Halle Heuring (who was named to the 2019 All-Southeast Missourian Team), as well as 2018 Southeast Missourian Player of the Year in senior pitcher Hailey Kutz. However, Graviett has a lot of young players – like Burnett – with ability also.
Sophomore first baseman Hailey Burnett will contribute significantly this fall, as will sophomore shortstop Kadi Dohogne, who may end up being the “surprise” of the area, according to Graviett.
Dohogne hit over .600 in summer ball.
“She’ll be a big surprise around here,” Graviett said. “She’ll be one of the top hitters in the area.”
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