A confident Platte County team has come out of the gates crushing the softball early on this season.
The Pirates have started the season with a 7-1 record, their best start since 2020. Through the first eight games, Platte County is averaging 11 runs per game, with a total of 15 home runs spread across five hitters.
“We’re happy with the start,” Platte County head coach Callie Peoples said. “We’ve played some great competition from the beginning and our girls have come out strong. They’ve competed, they’ve had really strong at-bats and they seem really confident, playing really well as a team.”
Bryli Seifert leads Platte County in hits, batting average, home runs, RBIs and runs.
It is a spot they like to be in, but they struggled to maintain those standards last season. Those standards include competing for championships through leadership.
If the early going is any indication of what this Platte County team is, they will have plenty of power, backed by veteran leadership from four seniors: shortstop Bryli Seifert, pitcher Reagan Ball, left fielder Lillian Talbot and center fielder Kelly Bullano. They have been varsity starters since their sophomore years, and they remain motivated to make a push for the team’s first state trophy since 2021.
Among the highlights from the opening slate of games has been the team advancing to the Gold Bracket of the Greater KC Tournament for the first time since 2020.
Platte County reached the Gold Bracket after defeating Harrisonville 19-0 and Chillicothe 4-2 in pool play on Aug. 28. They opened bracket play on Aug. 29 with a 10-0 loss to Grain Valley, then bounced back on the consolation side with quality wins against Lee’s Summit, 9-8, and Pleasant Hill, 8-4, to secure a fifth-place finish.
The Pirates impressed in a run-ruling road win at Kearney on Aug. 31. They used a six-run second inning, three-run fourth and 10-run sixth to defeat their I-92 rivals 19-1 in six innings as Talbot and Ball both hit homers.
Platte County head coach Callie Peoples greets senior pitcher Reagan Ball at third base after hitting a home run on Sept. 2 against Park Hill South.
They also rose victorious against Class 5 opposition, defeating Liberty 13-3 on Sept. 1 and Park Hill South 16-6 on Sept. 2. The Pirates’ power showed all night against Park Hill South as the team hit seven homers with Talbot and Ball hitting two each.
“They just come out knowing they can do it,” Peoples said. “They just keep working together as a team. Backing each other up, making the plays when they need to. Everybody’s playing their role no matter how great that might be or how small that might be.”
Platte County’s victory over Park Hill South stretched the Pirates’ winning streak to five games.
Seifert has led Platte County’s power surge with six home runs. The three-time all-state selection and LSU softball commit is much more than just a power hitter; she has started the year with an eight-game hitting streak, batting .864 by going 19-for-22 at the plate with 19 RBIs and seven walks.
Talbot and Ball also have three homers each, followed by junior leadoff hitter Kinleigh Howren’s two homers and sophomore first baseman Grace Shippee’s one homer.
Reagan Ball completed the game on Sept. 2.
“The bats are obviously huge,” Peoples said. “The more runs we score, the more baserunners we get, the more pressure it takes off of our pitchers.”
Junior second baseman Kinleigh Howren fields the ball against Park Hill South.
Ball also leads Platte County’s pitching efforts, although Talbot and junior Lacy Hayes both saw action in the Greater KC Tournament.
Platte County opens a four-game slate of conference matchups, starting Sept. 8 with a visit to William Chrisman before hosting Truman on Sept. 10. They hit the road again for visits to Grain Valley (Sept. 14) and Belton (Sept. 17).
The Pirates hope early-season momentum will carry them past their district troubles, which Kearney has inflicted each of the last four years. But plenty of work remains.
“The key is continuing to build on those games,” Peoples said. “We’re not satisfied with settling, so we’re going to keep working.”