There wasn’t a whole lot from her freshman statistics to suggest Hailey Lies was going to be a huge impact in Rock Creek’s lineup this year as a sophomore.
 
In 24 at-bats a year ago, Lies hit just .250 with as many hits as strikeouts (6 each) and one RBI.
 
But Mustang coach Jeri Brummett knew the numbers were deceiving and was fully confident Lies would deliver when she inserted her as the team’s starting shortstop and No. 3 hitter.
 
“We had a senior that started several years ahead of her so Hailey played DH when we needed her, ran when we needed her,” Brummett said. “But she very easily could have started on most teams. I knew what we had in her.”
 
What neither Brummett nor Lies may have known was just how big of a jump she would make once she became a full-time starter this spring. Not only is Lies one of the team’s top hitters with a .522 average, she’s displayed power unmatched in program history.

When Lies connected for a solo home run in the second game against Santa Fe Trail last Friday, she became Rock Creek’s record holder for home runs in a single season. The blast was her ninth of the season, breaking the old record of eight set by Ali Jones.
 
“It’s an honor really,” Lies said. “I always wanted my name to be in the record books some how and putting it in there my sophomore year is a big deal for me. … I didn’t see myself here last year.”
 
After her freshman season, Lies knew a starting role was imminent and was intent on making sure she took advantage, particularly at the plate.
 
“I had some bad habits I was trying to break from last year,” she said. “I’ve been working with my dad (Jeremy) a lot in the shed, working on my confidence and hitting. It wasn’t like a goal, like ‘I’m going to go up there and hit it out.’ It was just about making good contact and it’s just happened that way. I’ve just been focused on making good contact.”
 
Lies hit the ground running, err, hitting this season and began to flash some of the pop early in the season. But it was a recent stretch where she enjoyed a big-time power surge that helped her to the record.
 
Rock Creek played four doubleheaders during the week of April 13-17 and during that stretch, Lies hit 4 home runs and drove in 10 runs. In the Mustangs’ next outing on April 21 against Newton, she homered three times, including a big grand slam in a two-homer game in the nightcap that propelled the Mustangs to a 13-9 victory.
 
The hot streak caught Lies a bit by surprise.
 
“I go up there and hit it once and then it’s like, ‘OK, I’ve got this,’ and I want to do better the next time,” she said. “Each at-bat just builds off each other. One home run leads to the next and that has carried over to the next game and the next game. It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve got great teammates to celebrate with.”
 

 
Even Brummett said she’s been a bit surprised by the power display, though not by the success Lies is enjoying.
 
“She just hits it well and most of them are no-doubters,” Brummett said. “She sees the ball and hits the ball as well as any starter we’ve had. She’s remarkable, she’s humble and she’s kind and she’s the kind of team you build a team around. She’s as good as they get. I want a million of her. Her dad works her hard, but she wants to be worked hard.”
 
In addition to her .522 average and 9 home runs, Lies has 9 doubles and has driven in 34 runs and scored 35 runs for the Mustangs, who are 14-4. She’s only struck out once as well.
 
“One through five or six in our lineup, we’re as good as we’ve ever been,” Brummett said. “Hailey elevates all of us.”
 

 
OTHER SOFTBALL STANDOUTS

• Osage City freshman Sawyer Serna continue a strong debut season with a big week for the Indians last week. She threw a one-hitter and struck out 10 in a 6-1 win over Baldwin as the Indians got the sweep, taking the first game 4-0. In a sweep of Chase County, Serna went 2 for 4 with 3 stolen bases in an 11-0 win in the opener and then threw a 2-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a 14-1 win. She also had 2 hits and 2 walks and scored 4 runs and stole 4 bases. On the season, Serna is hitting .583 with 13 RBI and 23 stolen bases and has a 1.81 ERA with 53 strikeouts.
• Marais des Cygnes Valley’s Gracen Stahl had a big doubleheader in an 18-3, 24-14 sweep of Burlingame. In the opener, Stahl threw a two-hitter and gave up three unearned runs while striking out five and also had 3 RBI at the plate. In the second game, Stahl hit a pair of home runs and drove in five.

 

 

• Doniphan West senior Clara Feighner went over 400 career strikeouts with a huge performance in a pair of tight losses to Centralia as the Mustangs fell 2-0 and 5-4. Feighner struck out 31 batters on the night, pushing her career total to 429.

 

 

• In the doubleheader sweep of Doniphan West, Centralia’s Blair Wehling threw a 1-hit shutout in the opener, striking out 9. Tava Gibbs delivered the sweep, hitting a 2-out, 3-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the 5-4 victory. In just its third year as a program, the Panthers are off to their best start ever at 12-2.
• Wamego’s Landri Adams threw a no-hitter in the Red Raiders’ 6-0, 10-5 sweep of Marysville last week. Adams struck out 13 in her no-hitter and she also smacked a pair of home runs in the doubleheader.
• Seaman hit 7 home runs as a team in 15-0, 17-2 sweep of Piper with Lydia Dreher and Aubrey Warren getting 2 apiece. The Vikings improved to 10-4 with the sweep, 9-3 in United Kansas Conference play.

 

• Royal Valley’s KiWe Miller belted 4 home runs last week, hitting two against Riley County and 2 against St. Marys as the Panthers picked up sweeps of both Big East League rivals to even its record at 8-8. The Panthers were just 7-19 a year ago. Miller is hitting .609 with 6 home runs, 23 RBI and is 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 73 strikeouts.
• Jefferson West senior centerfielder Joslynn Sutton is hitting .438 while senior catcher Taryn Taylor is hitting .426. Each has struck out just three times this season with Sutton also holding a .700 average with runners in scoring position.
• Santa Fe Trail’s Addalyn Sleichter led the Chargers to a 17-2, 10-0 sweep of Burlington, going 5 for 5 with 5 runs scored. In a split with Rock Creek, the Chargers bounced back from a 9-0 loss in the first game to win 16-11 with freshman Bailey Walker hitting a go-ahead 3-run double in the seventh inning, capping a game where she went 3 for 5 and came within a home run of hitting for the cycle, driving in five runs. Kendall Baird also went 4 for 4 in the win, scoring four runs and driving in 2.
• Southeast of Saline's Karlee Zurfluh struck out 15 in a 5-inning run-rule win over Beloit, leading the Trojans to an 11-1 win. Zurfluh is now 7-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 58 strikeouts this season.

BASEBALL STANDOUTS

• Southern Lyon County’s Brayden Lienemann hit his third grand slam of the season against Burlington last week, finishing the game 3 for 3 with 4 RBI.
• Valley Heights is on a five-game winning streak, sweeping its second Twin Valley League twinbill with Blue Valley-Randolph and also sweeping Republic County. A 7-7 the Mustangs have their best record at this point in program history. Preston Smercheck improved his ERA to 1.59. Ben Miller leads the staff with 30 strikeouts while Smercheck has 27.
• Anderson County’s Brylan Sommer threw a no-hitter against in a 2-0 win over Wellsville after the Bulldogs had won the first game 1-0. Sommer struck out 5. Brayden Wheat got his 100th career hit in the doubleheader, the first Bulldog in school history to hit that milestone.
• A pair of sophomores have helped Little River to a 12-4 start to the season after the Redskins finished 20-4 a year ago. Camden Strecker has allowed just 7 earned runs in 31 innings for a 1.58 ERA and has a WHIP of 0.90 with 59 strikeouts against just six walks. He also leads the team with a .392 average. Eastyn Wohletz, meanwhile, has allowed just 4 earned runs for an ERA of 1.12 and WHIP of 1.20. He’s struck out 46 in 25 innings and is hitting .378.
• Blue Valley-Randolph’s Koy Williams threw 5 scoreless innings on just 54 pitches against Valley Heights.
• Wyatt Wells threw a complete-game shutout in Rock Creek’s 6-0 win over El Dorado, scattering 5 hits and striking out 8. Jaxon Pendell was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI.
• Rylan Rassmussen helped Lebo/Waverly end a 5-game losing streak by allowed just 4 hits in a 6-4 win over Prairie View. He struck out seven and allowed just one earned run in the game. On the season, he’s given up just 11 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 17, posting an ERA of 1.13.