Now Playing With the Boys -- Jill Spire and Taylor Coffelt

Two-time defending conference champion Northeast Nodaway had a lot of holes to fill this year if they were to have a legitimate shot at a threepeat. But thanks to senior Jill Spire and sophomore Taylor Coffelt crossing over from softball to baseball this spring, Northeast filled a lot of holes. Mid-Buchanan beat Northeast in their first game of the year, but Jill Spire was the story of the game -- one of the Dragons hit a screamer at Spire at second, as hard as a high school ball can be hit. But Spire snagged it and threw to first for the out, as everyone from the Mid-Buchanan side reacted in shock. Obviously, they couldn't believe a girl was capable of making that kind of a play. Playing in left field, Taylor Coffelt made another spectacular play as she chased after a screamer on the dead run. Nobody thought she would be able to get to it, but at the last moment, she reached out and snagged it with her glove.

Pitching turned out not to be a problem for this year despite the loss of Andrew Faustlin and Garet Jackson. Northeast had two pitchers coming back in Max Giesken and Andrew Freemyer, but they needed some more arms. But they found three more in Rowdy West and freshmen Spencer Weir and Chet Spire, Jill's little brother. The pitching was there for Northeast last Tuesday at East Atchison; they broke open a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning and won under the ten run rule.

If Northeast can continue to find the hitting, they will have a good chance to repeat as champions for the third time. They get into the thick of things this week, with home dates with South Nodaway, North Harrison, and North Nodaway. There is a big adjustment from softball to baseball but "they are learning very quickly the differences between softball and baseball," said assistant coach Cody Green. Pitched balls come in at a different angle, the ball is much smaller and hit much harder, you can lead off in baseball (unlike softball), and the bases are farther apart. It helps that the boys on the teams have accepted Spire and Coffelt like any other member of the team.

Northeast is not the first team to have girls cross over from softball to baseball; Max Giesken noted that a few years ago, West Platte had a girl playing baseball on their team. But Jill Spire and Taylor Coffelt have the chance to make this season special for Vance Proffitt's squad.