With several key returners from a team that went 19-13 last season, the Waterloo High School softball squad is ready to shine this spring. 

The Bulldogs started the 2024 campaign with four wins in their first five games, with the loss being a 1-0 pitching duel against Belleville East.

Leading the way this season for Waterloo are seniors Mia Miller, Raelyn Melching and Maddie Gummersheimer. 

Miller, one of the top pitchers in the area who is a Missouri S&T commit, went 11-7 last season with a miniscule 1.33 ERA. She ranks first all-time in career strikeouts for Waterloo. At the plate, Miller hit .398 with 27 RBIs in 2023.

Melching, a Hannibal-LaGrange commit, catches for the Bulldogs and drove in nine runs through the team’s first five games already this spring.

Gummersheimer hit three home runs and drove in 23 runs last season. 

Other returning players for the ‘Dogs are junior catcher/utility player Kate Lindhorst and sophomore infielders Sam Juelfs, Aidan Dintelman and Mallory Thompson.     

Juelfs hit .442 last season. Dintelman hit .350 and went 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA in the pitching circle. Thompson hit .382 in 2023. 

Newcomers expected to contribute to the success of the Bulldogs this spring include junior outfielder Riley McDermott, sophomore outfielder Haley Tomanovich, sophomore pitcher Taryn Kern, freshman infielder Ava Brown and freshman outfielder Jensyn Collmeyer.

Team strengths, according to Waterloo head coach Matt Mason, include pitching depth, experience and solid hitting in the front half of the lineup. 

As for weaknesses, Mason said defensive inexperience and unproven hitters in the bottom half of the lineup are things to work on.

“We expect both to improve as the year progresses,” Mason said.

Still, with the components already on hand within the program, Mason has high expectations.  

“We hope to win 20-plus games, win the Mississippi Valley Conference, and win the regional and advance as far as possible in the postseason,” Mason said.

The element of working together as a team for a common goal is always the key to success, and Mason is seeing that in the early going.

“The team has had a great attitude and work ethic,” he said. “So far, they have been a joy to coach.  We have had good practices and we are learning softball and learning about ourselves each day.”