Here’s a look at the Davis, Bountiful, Viewmont, Woods Cross and Farmington High school softball programs as they all take the field this spring.

Davis

The Davis High team was frustrated last season not being able to play with what they thought was a good team, according to head coach Todd Street. So, the Darts have been taking advantage of the new year and opportunity ahead to be on the field by focusing on conditioning, improving each day and enjoying the moment.

Senior second baseman Emily Dent is expected to lead at the plate, on the bases and in the field along with senior catcher Ellie Anderson and junior outfielder Sadie Hathaway, who will also contribute heavily on offense and defense.

“We also have lots of young girls so it will be interesting to see who else blossoms,” Street, who is in his second year, said.

Street, who lives in Centerville, coached his daughters for years as they played softball and has also been a basketball coach for nearly 30 years and a football coach for 19.

“My coaches had an amazing influence on my life and I just want to help my kids be successful,” Street said. 

Also on the Davis 2021 team is senior Abby Clark; juniors Avery Kartchner, Aubrey Noriega, Larkyn Robinson, Keli Scadden and Alix Thaxton; sophomores Nina Attanasio, Ellie Black, Abbey Hicks, Kenzie Miller, Abby Olsen and Laney Tuft; and freshmen Gracie George, Sydney Marrelli and Rayleigh Starnes.

Street is being assisted by Derek Hathaway, Jason Thaxton and Dave Noriega on the coaching staff this season with the philosophy of “getting 21 outs, finishing strong and having fun competing.”

The Darts are scheduled to play West, Herriman, Bountiful, Woods Cross and Farmington as well as region home-and-away games with Fremont, Layton, Clearfield, Roy, Weber, Ridgeline, Syracuse and Northridge.

Bountiful

Bountiful had seven seniors take the field for one game last season – a 7-3 win over Roy in which freshman pitcher Eva Stoddard struck out 12 batters – before the “brutal” end to the season.

“Those kids had been together for four years and they got only one game, but that’s the first year I’ve ever been undefeated,” said head coach Butch Latey, who is in his 17th year with the Braves. “You always want to win the last game of the season and they also won the first.”

This year, Bountiful will be filling those holes on the varsity squad.

Stoddard along with senior pitchers Annie Salazar and Shambre Maestas will lead on the mound, while senior catcher Amy Black, senior second baseman Livi Arona and junior shortstop Shiloh Johnson will also be looked to at the plate and on the field. Also on the 2021 Braves varsity squad this season is Kennedie Arenaz, Mylie Burnes, Sydney Gouff, Katelyn Rogers, Carli Sexton, Athena Tongaonevai and Melissa Turpin.

“It’s going to be fun to get back out there,” Latey said. “We’ll focus on having fun and getting better. I always tell the girls, ‘If we’re good at practice, we should be good in the games.’”

Bountiful is scheduled to play Davis, Weber, Copper Hills, Cyprus, Corner Canyon, Clearfield, Skyline, Payson, Alta and Syracuse and region home-and-away games with Bonneville, Viewmont , Woods Cross, Farmington and Box Elder. They are also planning to play in the Strike Out Cancer Tournament in South Jordan April 16-17.

“As we get going here, we’ll see who steps up this year as we had so many holding down the fort for us last season,” Latey said. 

Viewmont

Viewmont returns some key seniors and juniors from a team that played just three games before the season stopped last spring. Head coach Stacie Toney will be looking to Maren Bailey, Emily Egnew, Anna Moore, Nicole Neuenswan, Grace Nielson, Oakley Sovic and Savana Walker to provide leadership on and off the field for her Vikings squad this season.

“They will play large roles in bringing this team together and push them to newer heights,” Toney, who is in her third year, said. 

Toney said her freshman class will also have immediate and significant impact this year in replacing players at key positions. “They bring a new energy and passion for the game that we love,” Toney said.

The Vikings have been focusing on improving and “doing the next best thing” in anticipation of taking the field this season. “We’re going to enjoy playing the game when we have the chance,” she said. 

Viewmont is scheduled to play Skyline, Alta, Ridgeline, Hillcrest, Sky View, Highland, Brighton, Jordan and Taylorsville along with region home-and-away games against Farmington, Bountiful, Bonneville, Box Elder and Woods Cross. They will also compete in the Bengal Bash Tournament April 16-17.

Also on the Vikings squad this year are sophomores Amanda Barton, Samantha Bice, Jenavieve Eggett, Ashley Muir and Sydni Steed; and freshmen Kennedy Embrey, Lily Hawker, Ella Naea, Molly Roberts, Haley Rodabough and Lily Wright.

“We are here to stick together and leave a legacy,” Toney said. “We want to be better today than we were yesterday.” Toney is being assisted on the coaching staff this season by Megan Whiteley, Monte Roberts and Mike Embrey.

Woods Cross

Head coach Casey Plowman said the sports shutdown last spring took a lot out of her team from a mental standpoint, but she returns a “strong team” with many players who were able to still play on their competitive teams.

Plowman said her players were excited to be back in the gym in the offseason and have been working hard. “The protocols have been challenging and have made an obstacle course for us, but we are getting by and we are doing all that we can to practice and be together,” Plowman said. “We are ready for this season to start.”

This year’s Wildcats squad includes seniors Elizabeth Busdicker, Autumn Johnson, Mekenna Trader and Jade Valdez; juniors Libby Clark, Ali Ebberts, Mario Fifi, Kate Massey and Ngalu Pahulu; sophomores Annabelle Aycock, Breanna Bennett, Kenna Cowley, Kali Crockett, Kaela Jensen, Noa Latu, Madison Meeks, Gracie Thain and Zoe Williams; and freshmen Callie Jeppesen and Natalie Wall.

“I would love to see a region championship with this team,” Plowman said. “It is something that they can do. The girls will need to play every game like it is their last. We had a season taken away in a blink of an eye and we know what that feels like, we will never take practice, games and being together for granted.”

Plowman is being assisted on the coaching staff this season by Madi White, Katie Bowdidge and Kelsey Memmott.

Woods Cross is scheduled to play Roy, Weber, Taylorsville, Layton, Clearfield, Olympus, Northridge, Davis, Skyridge, Mountain Crest and Mountain Ridge along with region matchups against Box Elder, Farmington, Bountiful, Bonneville and Viewmont.

Farmington

Head coach Jasey Fatongia said “it was absolutely devastating” to endure the spring sports shutdown last season. This time around, Farmington returns every member of that team since there were no seniors in the program in 2020. “This year has been so great to start up knowing we will be able to play this year,” Fatongia said. “Our girls missed being on the field and you can tell during practices and prep for the season. For sure, we will not take one minute for granted.”

BYU signee Delaney Baker – a junior pitcher – along with junior infielder/catcher Hadley Eichmeier, junior second baseman Paige Herbon, sophomore shortstop Elle Mortensen and senior outfielder/infielder Lauren Gray are expected to lead the Phoenix this year. Freshman outfielder Lexi Crowley and freshman pitcher/utility player Madison Kelker are also newcomers to watch, according to Fatongia.

The team has been focusing on the fundamentals of the game and remaining healthy in getting back on the field. 

“We want to play every game one pitch at a time and to enjoy every second of it,” Fatongia said. “We are beyond excited to be back on the diamond again!”

Also on the Farmington squad this spring are seniors Emily Barton, Katelyn Gazafy and Alayna Stoddard; juniors Paige Herbon, Kimberly Ritz; sophomores Courtney Christiansen, Riley Echardt, Kate Hansen, Raegan McFarland, Eva O’Brien, Lisa Rasmussen and Hannah Ritz; and freshmen Hannah Barton, Ryan Bennion, Nev Carrasquel, Lilly Nelson and Addison Orso.

“These girls have worked so hard on the off season and as a coaching staff we are so excited to see them do amazing things this year,” Fatongia said.

Fatongia is being assisted by Rae Stensland, Cal Yosimura, John Mortensen and Emily Rodriguez on the coaching staff this season.

Farmington is scheduled to play Roy, Layton, Kearns, Murray, Bear River, Herriman and Davis along with home-and-away games against Viewmont, Woods Cross, Box Elder, Bountiful and Bonneville. The Phoenix will also travel to Logan for the Cache Valley Tournament April 24.