MCC Softball opens season Thursday in Kansas
The 13th ranked McCook Community College softball team opens the regular season this week with four games in Kansas. MCC travels to Dodge City Thursday for a pair of games then plays two games in Garden City Friday.
Coming off a record-setting 51-win season that ended in the Elite Eight of the College World Series, expectations are high for the 2026 team that returns the reigning Region IX Player of the Year and a pair of returning All-Americans.
MCC, ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA preseason poll, returns eight sophomores, brings in two sophomore transfers and a diverse group of 12 freshman which includes three from McCook.
“We lost a lot of key pieces from last year but have eight experienced sophomores, and a good group of incoming players and together they had a really strong fall, and kept the momentum through his semester,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall, who begins his fourth year leading the team.
NON:CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The Lady Indians MCC will play three games against teams ranked in the Top 25 of Division I and five games against D2 teams.
“This is going to be a challenging start to the season,” said Mendenhall. “But we are looking forward to that challenge.”
MCC will be one of 19 competing Feb. 13-14 at the Texoma Health Foundation Winter Blast in Denison, Texas. The Lady Indians will face No. 22 Temple College, Murray State College (ranked No. 1 in D2) and No. 21 Rose State College.
The following weekend MCC travels to Branson, Mo. for the Branson Turf’s Up Classic and will face No. 15 Crowder on Feb. 20. That tournament also includes games with Missouri State West Plains and Southwest Community College and Northern Oklahoma College-Enid.
MCC’s final weekend of February includes a trip to Kansas City, Kan. where MCC will play doubleheaders against a pair of Division 2 Top 25 programs in No. 8 Johnson County Community College and No. 19 Kansas City Kansas Community College.
“Some of those Division 2 schools were some of the better teams we played all last year,” said Mendenhall. “We’ll get some tough games in preparation for region play in early March.”
MCC will play their home-opener Feb. 24 against Seward County Community College. First pitch of that doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at the Jaycees Sports Complex.
SOPHOMORE RETURNERS are led by pitcher/outfielder Kaliyah St. Amand, (Duncan, British Columbia), the 2025 Region IX Freshman and Region IX Player of the year along with, All-American third teamers in infielder/pitcher Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) and catcher Payton Kinsley (Didsbury, Alberta). All three made the All-Region IX team as well as the Omaha World-Herald’s All-Midlands junior college team.
“We’re looking for big years and leadership from these three, and they all had a really good fall season,” said Mendenhall. “The best teams always have the best leadership within.”
St. Amand, a Duncan, British Columbia native, went 19-4 in the pitching circle with a 2.37 earned run average and struck out 159 batters in 145 innings. On offense, she batted .430 with a .521 on-base average with 10 doubles, two home runs and 26 RBIs in 104 at bats. She was second in Region IX in batting average.
“She had a fantastic year – freshman of the year, pitcher of the year, player of the year, all the accolades – and she came back and had a solid fall pitching and hitting,” said Mendenhall. “So we’re obviously going to rely on her again.”
Warren, from Victoria, British Columbia, batted leadoff and hit .434 with 24 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 55 RBIs and 52 stolen bases (12th in the nation). She reached base 47.6 percent of her plate appearances and was fifth in the nation in doubles. She also went 9-1 in the pitching circle with a 3.16 ERA.
“She had a heck of a fall and put in a ton of work in the off-season and she is very driven,” said Mendenhall. “She’s a key piece of this team whether it’s pitching, shortstop or third base, we’re still trying to figure out what works best for our team.”
Kinsley, hit .377 with 21 home runs and 86 RBIs. She had an .832 slugging average, and led all Region IX players in homers and RBIs. Her 21 homers was tied for sixth in the nation, and her RBIs tied for 11th most in the nation.
“We’re expecting big things out of her and may try to ease her workload and putting her in the DP role more with some other solid catchers on the roster,” said Mendenhall. “When she puts the pieces together, she’s a very good player. And she is a leader and we will rely on her in many ways.”
Catcher/infielder Peytann Weiland (Aurora, Colo.) appeared in 33 games as a freshman and hit .403 with seven doubles, three home runs and 33 RBIs and a .610 slugging mark.
“She spot-started for us last year but there are a lot of signs of greatness with her. I know it can be tough to be consistent when you don’t get consistent playing time, but she did a nice job with that,” said Mendenhall. “Once she has that confidence, she can smash the ball and looking forward to her to step up and be a big part of this team.”
Infielder Audrey Reeves (Sterling, Colo.) appeared in 37 games including starting at second base in all five games in the CWS. She batted .278 for the season with three homers and 11 steals. She batted .308 in Arizona with a home run in the season finale.
“Mostly a spot starter last year, and did a nice job when she had the opportunities, but she’s been a lot more confident this season and that’s translated be being a lot more consistent at the plate and in the field,” said Mendenhall.
Outfielder Kashlin Beck (Claflin, Kan.) provided offensive punch off the bench as a freshman leading the team with a .475 batting mark with a .500 on-base average (third on the team). She slugged .800 with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 17 RBIs in 19 games covering 40 at bats.
“She’s another one who stepped up and really put in the work last year to get better and ended up offensively one of our top four hitters, so she’ll get a lot of time in the outfield and that’s nice to see because we graduated some pretty good outfielders.”
Olivia Pollon’s (Tisdale, Saskatchewan) season ended in early April as a freshman with an injury but she appeared in 17 games and batted .333 in 12 at bats and four RBIs. She pitched in four games and went 1-0 over six innings allowing two hits, no runs, two walks and six strikeouts.
“She hit really well this fall and I’m excited for her,” said Mendenhall. “Defensively, she is a great first baseman and we’ll need her to throw some innings for us this year too.”
Pitcher Olivia Moorhead (Hershey) appeared in 10 games and went 1-1 over 20 innings with a 3.79 ERA. She struck out 12 and walked four. At the plate she batted .250 in 15 games.
“She’s become a lot better pitcher in her time here. I see a huge difference between her freshman and sophomore year,” said Mendenhall. “So got a lot of innings in the fall and she’s going to be in the mix to get some important innings for us this spring and maybe a little at first base too.”
TWO SOPHOMORE TRANFERS: join the squad this season.
Catcher Marleigh Mitchell (Mission, British Columbia) transfers from Odessa (Texas) Community College where she batted .444 with a .583 on-base average in 12 games last season.
“I recruited her in high school and when it didn’t work out in Odessa, we were glad to get her here,” said Mendenhall. “I think she’ll get some time behind the plate this season, and offensively she ended on a really, high note in the fall.”
Tatum Ross (Frederick, Colo) is a third baseman who transferred from Hastings College.
“She did really well defensively and as a transfer, you have to work to get into a rhythm and she did that by the end of fall,” said Mendenhall.
THIS YEAR’S FRESHMAN CLASS hope to make up for six graduating sophomores who were all named to the 2025 All-Region team.
“We have a great freshman group overall,” said Mendenhall “I lot of them come in nervous, for some it’s their first time out of their home country and it can be stressful, but I’d say as a group this group did a great job of adjusting not only on the field but with their role on the team and in the classroom too.”
Lyndsay Keogh, (Surrey, British Columbia) is a left-handed hitting catcher/first base who led the team in batting average in the fall.
“I think she hit close to .600 in the fall and can hit to all fields very consistently and good defensive player as well,” said Mendenhall. “I think she’ll be a key part of our lineup.”
Brooklynn Gillen (McCook), shortstop sustained an injury midway through the fall season.
“She was out for a few weeks but played a lot of shortstop and will get a ton of time there – particularly when Paige pitches,” said Mendenhall. “She’s replacing an all-American in Laila Gutierrez and expectations are high, but she has a great head on her shoulders and we’re excited for her.”
Josie Wright (Calgary, Alberta), is an outfielder who is expected to see a lot of time in center field.
“She is another very fast player, and she gives us the chance have a very quick outfield,” said Mendenhall. “She is great defensively, and we’re working on her small-ball game but she can also hit the ball off the wall so were working on a happy medium with her offensively,” said Mendenhall.
Ellie Baca (Greeley, Colo.) is another left-handed hitter and outfield/utility player who played a lot of right field in the fall.
“She can hit,” said Mendenhall. “She came in as a nervous freshman and changed her approach, got more comfortable at the plate and came back to be a top five hitter for us in the fall and will be a piece of our outfield mix.”
Hayley Smith (Chestermere, Alberta) plays first base and pitches.
“She has a big bat and when she gets a hold of it, the ball goes far,” said Mendenhall. “Really can play several positions, first and some opportunities in the outfield as well as pitching from time to time.”
A pair of McCook High School graduates will compete for time in the outfield: Malia Hilker and Lacyn Keller.
“Malia really came along midway through the fall. She’s and aggressive player and her hitting has come around,” said Mendenhall. “She’ll have some opportunities in centerfield, and it’s nice to have that depth at that key position, so I’m excited for her this spring.”
“Lacyn does everything right, backing up plays, thinking ahead and she has incredible speed so we’re working on putting the ball on the ground a little more because she can fly,” said Mendenhall. “And that’s what I like on my teams – speed to put pressure on opposing defenses.”
Hannah Schneider, (Alliance/Scottsbluff H.S.) is a left-handed pitcher and left-handed hitting outfielder.
“She can play outfield but I think we’ll utilizer her speed change as a pitcher more,” said Mendenhall. “We put her into some tough situations this fall against some good teams and she threw very well.”
Her twin sister, Hallie Schneider (Alliance/Scottsbluff H.S.) is a right-handed player who can play anywhere in the infield.
“She’ll get plenty of opportunities to play multiple positions and performed well in the fall,” said Mendenhall.
Blake Elliott (Calgary, Alberta) will look for time in the outfield this year.
“She’s played a great leftfield for us so far,” said Mendenhall. “We’ve worked on changing a few things on her swing and building her confidence because we know she can be a great player because she’s always excited to be at the field, has a positive attitude, works hard and does all we ask.”
Danika Vandermeer (Slyvan Lake, Alberta) is looking to fill several spots this year as a utility player.
“She can catch, played a lot of second base, and in the outfield and is another player who had to absorb a lot when she first arrived in McCook, but adjusted well.”
Paige Leggett (Calgary, Alberta) comes to MCC as a third base/utility player.
“She hit the ball hard from the start of our fall games, and while her batting average didn’t necessarily show that, she hit the ball hard right at people and plays a solid infield and maintains a positive attitude,” said Mendenhall.
REGION IX: After 20 non-conference games, The Lady Indians are set to begin Region IX play March 7 at Trinidad, Colo., with the first home games in region slated for March 13 against Southeast Community College.
“From year-to-year, it’s always tough trying to guess how the region will shape up,” said Mendenhall. “It’s always about the pitching, and I think we’ll be right up there again this year.”
Mendenhall knows that MCC will have a target on its back. And while it is a completely different team, he believes he has a solid group of returners balanced with a diverse group of newcomers.
“I try not to make a ton of comparisons to last year’s team but February might be tough for us but I think it will prepare us for region play,” said Mendenhall.
Up-to-date information about MCC softball including schedule, livestream links for home games, roster, statistics, photos and more can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com