By Blake Chadwick
The Derby Panther softball team is a program that consistently excels year after year.
Now entering head coach Christy Weve’s 22nd season at the helm, the team aims to build on last year’s impressive 24-5 record and look to make it four straight state tournament appearances.
“I expect the season to go very well,” Weve said. “We have the ability to compete with and beat anyone. We need to play for each other and take care of the little things for this to happen.”
Thanks to the success of other sports during the winter season, the softball team often takes a hit, as many of its dual-sport athletes miss the first few days of practice. But for Weve and the rest of the Panthers, it will always be business as usual as they look to keep the momentum from a season ago.
“It is tough missing players for the first couple weeks of practice,” Weve said. “Once we can get everyone there, we can fully figure out positions, rotations, and strategy.”
The Panthers return a seasoned group of seniors—Carsten Carpenter, Jersey Ramirez, Ava Boden, and Loren Sweat—who have all earned their share of all-league honors. They are joined by standout junior Karlie Demel, a first-team all-league and second-team all-state selection.
“We are going to be solid,” Weve said. “We have some stuff to figure out, and once we do, we will be competitive. We may have lost some players, but we will reload and be strong.”
