Coach: Lady Panthers good ‘all around’ this year

Greenbrier coach Brian Butler said he has high hopes for this year’s Lady Panthers, who made it to the state semifinals last year. Butler, in his 17th year in education and 11th year as Greenbrier’s coach, said the team has seven returning starters, “and we’ve added a few good freshmen.” The 5A West team’s 2017 record was one to brag about — 23-9 overall and 12-0 in the blended 5A-6A North Central Conference — becoming district champ and a state semifinalist. “We did pretty good; we had a little stumble in the beginning of the year, … but they put it together. We were one pitch short of making it to the finals — we were up 3-1 and lost 4-3 against Valley View,” Butler said. He can’t help but feel optimistic about his team this season. Returning starters are senior Jaylee Engelkes, pitcher; junior Kailey Hamilton, second base; junior Shelby Coats, first base; junior McKenzie Shannon, right-fielder; sophomore Makayla Seyller, shortstop; sophomore Peyton Greiner, catcher; and sophomore Cassidy Lear, left-fielder. Engelkes, a left-handed hitter and a righthanded thrower, is the best hitter for average with “well over 400 for her four-year career,” Butler said. She’s a power hitter, slamming 7 home runs last season. Butler said Shannon is a slapper. “She hits on the left side and tries to put the ball in play and run; she’s real fast,” he said. “[Shannon] came on at the end and ended up hitting 450 for us. She did a real good job playing lead off,” the coach said, adding that Shannon will move to the center position this year. “She’s got real good speed; she lit it up at the end of the year there last year,” he said. “Her on-base percentage was really high, and her batting average was really high.” In addition to Shannon, the coach noted that other players whose strengths include speed are sophomore Lillee Mahan and freshman Kylie Griffin. He said Maggie Garrett, the third baseman who graduated last year, will be “a tough one to replace.” “We’ve got a third baseman; it’s just the experience of playing third,” he said. Butler said the team’s overall strengths are pitching and hitting. “We’ve got some girls who can flat out hit this year. “All around, we should be really good. There are a bunch of them I can play in a whole bunch of spots.” That’s good and bad, the coach added. “We’ve got that luxury, … but you want to have some continuity and have them playing in the same spot as much as you can.” With so many strong players, Butler said, his team is full of college prospects. Engelkes has already signed with the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Butler said others on the team who could play collegelevel ball include Hamilton, Shannon, Greiner, Seyller, Lear and Griffin, as well as junior Dyanah Rippeto. Games to watch include Pottsville on April 13, Vilonia on April 24 and Sheridan on April 26. Butler will be assisted this year by coaches Jaclyn Langston and Bailey Reed. “We have very high expectations going into the season, losing just a few key players and returning most on a team who made it to the semifinals last year,” Butler said. “Hopefully, when it’s all said and done, we will be in the mix at the end to get back to the state-championship game.”