Another step forward for Lady Warriors softball in 2024

It might not have been the big leap they wanted, but the Worland Lady Warriors softball program took another step forward in the 2024 season.

The Lady Warriors won the most games in the program's four-year history, going 3-19 (1-9 in the West conference).

Ralley Moreno and Samantha Pierce earned West all-conference honors. Pierce was named to the first-team, while Moreno was second-team all-conference.

Pierce led the Lady Warriors in batting average (.465), on-base percentage (.509), runs (14), hits (20), RBIs (16), slugging percentage (.627), doubles (5) and strikeouts (62).

Moreno was one of Worland's top defensive players and made huge improvements at the plate this season. She had the team's second-best batting average (.333), hits (17), runs (11) and doubles (4).

"Sam has kind of made a name for herself. At one point, she was fourth in the state for strikeouts. She's only a sophomore and she's going to only get better," said WHS softball coach Tim Barrus. "Rally Moreno was second-team all-conference and improved so much this season."

Many of the Lady Warriors improved from last season to this season and took big strides during the season.

Kelsi Smith gained confidence at the plate, and freshmen Aedyn Donahue and Kate Gallinger took to high school softball well.

"I was really impressed with Kelsi Smith. She's got a lot of talent. She battled through some of the mental parts of the game. Toward the end of the season, she started hitting the ball really well. The girls were telling her she had warning track power because she hit the fence two or three times. She was building confidence and came on well.

"Aedyn Donahue was as green as you can get coming to varsity softball. At first, it was a big thing, but once she started settling in, she was stealing bases and making catches look easy. Kate Gallinger was another freshman and she pitched for us. She pitched hard and has a lot of talent. I expect her to put another five miles per hour on her pitch. That will put her among the top pitchers in the state," said Barrus.

Moreno, along with Molly Glanz and Cerenity Quintana, also made huge gains in 2024.

"Rally was fantastic. It's hard to believe she's only played for three years. She can play about every position, is fearless and goes out there and gives it her all. We had a bunch of girls do great things this year," said Barrus. "Molly Glanz was our top defensive player with the most putouts and assists. Cerenity Quintana was really fast. We asked her to play outfield, and before long, she was doing really well out there. Each of the girls improved and did a lot of good things for our team this season."

Worland graduates two seniors, Ivey Roberts and Oakley Voyles. Both seniors provided leadership and contributed to the team. Voyles' bat helped the Lady Warriors pick up their first conference win this season versus Green River.

Roberts became the first player to letter all four years and has been a consistent presence behind the plate for Worland.

"Oakley Voyles was a senior, and she stepped up to become a leader for us. Then she started hitting the ball well for us. She had a good attitude, and they all liked being around her. Ivey Roberts was our first girl to letter all four years. She was our go-to catcher. Her leadership the past four years has been a go-to for us. She's always had a strong arm and if you're not paying attention, she'll throw you out," said Barrus.

The Lady Warriors fell short of making the first state tournament in program history. Yet, the season still had memorable moments, which included the home conference win over Green River and being competitive in a majority of their games.  

"My favorite moment was coming together as a team and getting that first conference win against Green River. That game gave them a glimpse of what they're capable of. Overall, the team was more competitive than we have ever been.

"For most of the season, we battled and kept it close better than we have in the four years Worland has had softball. That says a lot. Going up against those bigger schools is a challenge, but they battled through it and did the best they could," said Barrus.

For the Lady Warriors returning next season, this offseason, they'll look to play in traveling teams, going to camps and getting in the weight room.

Then, for the 2025 season, Worland will also look to boost their numbers.

"We're encouraging the kids to play travel or rec league to keep their skills up. There are some college camps and other camps where they can keep working on their skills. I've even visited with our weightlifting coaches to work on lifting and conditioning in the offseason.

"We want to keep that up and also keep recruiting to keep our numbers up. We're toying around with the idea to put on a softball camp for younger kids so we can grow the program," said Barrus. "We're excited to keep growing the program. Three more schools are adding programs next year. Sheridan, Torrington and Jackson will have teams. It's going to be tough to compete against those bigger schools, but we're going to keep at it."