The Princeton Lady Tigers, in 2019, took a big step with its softball program, winning a district title and advancing to the Class 1 sectional round and a meeting with Platte Valley. While the run to the postseason was rewarding for Princeton, the finish was painful, as PHS lost a three-run lead in the late innings, falling on its home field to end the season.
Going into 2020, Princeton returns five of nine starters, including junior starting pitcher Lauren Krohn, in addition to head coach Heather Hall, a Princeton alum that has slowly but steadily built her program up the ranks of the Grand River Conference. This season, with the pitching looking strong, the biggest questions to be answered for the program is how sturdily the Lady Tigers defense can play, and how quickly a very young but talented group of underclassmen can fill the holes left by graduation losses that included Lindsey Batson, Kennedy Norton, Sarah Spencer, and Lacie Lewis.
While graduation hurt the Princeton offense, last year’s seniors played critical defensive positions, leaving the coaching staff looking at the multiple options available to fill those spots on the diamond:
A strength of the roster for Princeton could come from the versatility of options with a group of seasoned youngsters, and the competition for playing time that should develop from that mix:
The Lady Tigers, getting a taste at the state playoffs, and being only two victories away from a trip to Springfield and the “Final Four”, come back hungry to reach that level, and perhaps beyond, this fall:
Princeton will participate in a three-team jamboree with GRC rivals Gallatin and Milan this Friday afternoon, August 21st at Legion Field in Milan. The season opener for the Lady Tigers will be at Albany on Saturday, August 29th, followed by a challenging trip to Schuyler County on Monday, August 31st.
The Grand River Conference opener will be one of the early swing games for Princeton, with Maysville visiting Gentry Field on Tuesday, September 1st. Other games of note on the PHS fall schedule will be a trip to Trenton on September 8th, Milan visiting Princeton on September 10th, a trip to rival Mercer on September 14th, and Putnam County at Princeton on September 17th.
Princeton will participate in the North Harrison Tournament on September 26th and host the George Scurlock Memorial Tournament on October 10th. In preparation for a hoped-for postseason run, the Lady Tigers have added an ultra-tough opponent to finish the season, as Princeton hosts Marceline in a “Battle of Tigers” on October 12th.
