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They say tragedy brings us together. That was the case for the Columbus Community softball team this spring in a story that comes in at number seven in our KCII area schools top 10 sports story countdown from the 2018-2019 academic year.

In March the unthinkable happened for the Wildcat softball team when head coach Tim Milder passed away unexpectedly. When the season rolled around in May it was difficult for everyone, especially Milder’s daughter Emma, who was a sophomore on the team. In their first game of the season on May 23rd, Emma had the honor of starting in the circle and delivered a win for the program in the first game without her dad. She threw a complete game and recorded two hits with three runs scored to lead the Wildcats in an 11-6 victory over Mediapolis. New head coach Katie Coil told KCII Sports what Emma did this year is truly remarkable. “She has an infectious personality and go-getter attitude. After what she went through this spring I was nervous about how she was going to respond, but she ended up being the leader of the team in getting the girls back together. I couldn’t be any more proud of her as an individual. It would be a struggle for me to even step out on the field and want to play again, but she did. She is inspiring to the entire team.”

Emma Milder would go on to become an all-conference selection for the Wildcats this summer. Our top 10 Countdown continues tomorrow when we return to softball with other SEISC schools.

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