The Sigourney Savage softball team had to say goodbye to three seniors this year in Autum Barthelman, Leah Carter and Madi Schauf.  And boy, will they be missed.

The three of them tore it up this season.  Carter was lights-out behind the plate.  Schauf was the definition of offensive production.  Barthelman was a master base-stealer.  Those were just a few aspects of what they brought to the table.

Carter was one of the leading defenders on the team this season with a fielding percentage of over .960 in conference play and through the season as a whole.  Her .372 batting average was the fourth-best on the team, as were her 32 hits.  She earned herself second-team all-conference honors to cap off an incredible career.

For Schauf’s part, she honed her craft to the best of her ability.  Head coach Shelly Streigle has praised Schauf’s work ethic when it comes to swinging the bat, and it paid off in spades.  She finished with a .500 batting average and tied for the lead in class 1A with 50 RBI, which she hit in 12 less games than her counterpart.  Yet, despite these numbers, she somehow only ended up on the second all-state team.

The leadoff spot in any lineup has a need for speed, and Barthelman had plenty of it.  She finished tied for 14th in the state across all classes in stolen bases with 42, not getting caught a single time.  Her .506 average was good for tops on the team and in the conference.  Her accolades were good enough to earn her a spot on the first-team all-state.

Those three will be tough to replace.  But a senior class of Jordan VanEe, Summer Barthelman and Savannah White next season should do just fine with that.