High school softball in Missouri might seem like it's taken more seriously in the fall, when teams compete for state championships.

But don't tell that to squads that compete in the spring. For those teams, things can be just as intense even though no postseason play is involved.

The local prep softball season gets under way in the next few days. Following is a look at some of the squads in the immediate area:

Notre Dame

The Lady Bulldogs of coach Jerry Grim went 11-4 and won the season-ending Sikeston Tournament last year.

With his top two pitchers returning, Grim expects another solid season this spring.

"I think we should be pretty competitive again," he said. "Pitching should definitely be our strength."

Juniors Jill Huber and Randi Senciboy return to lead Notre Dame's mound corps, which will also include freshman Laura Huber.

Senciboy also returns at shortstop while others back around the field are junior infielders Niki Davie and Kristi Jansen and senior outfielder Erin Hamm.

"Most of the other positions are still up in the air because we haven't been outside to practice much with all the bad weather," Grim said.

The Lady Bulldogs open the season Tuesday at home against Sikeston.

Kelly

The Lady Hawks are the queens of area softball, having gone undefeated last spring and then winning the Class 2A state championship this past fall.

"We've had a lot of success and hopefully we can keep it going," said coach Rhonda Evans.

Since Kelly competes in both the spring and fall (the other area schools compete in only one or the other), Evans approaches the spring season a bit differently than most coaches.

"For us, spring is a time use to get other players ready for the upcoming fall season," she said. "Our seniors aren't going out (this spring). A lot of them run track or do other things. It gives me an opportunity to get the younger girls playing.

"We'll be young this spring, but it'll give them a chance to step up and show me what they've got. It'll also give them a chance to know what's coming in the fall."

Kelly will be led by several players who were key members of the state championship fall team, including pitcher Brittney Lambert, center fielder Natalie Robert, second baseman Ashley Beggs and catcher Andrea Heisserer. All are junior who started in the fall.

The squad's other junior is right fielder Cheryl Barnett while sophomore third baseman Julie Milam is being counted on as well.

Evans has a large freshmen group of 14 and she expects several to contribute, including left fielder Marissa Essner, first baseman Nicole Kern and shortstop Megan Beggs.

The Lady Hawks play their first spring game Wednesday at Sikeston.

Scott City

Sally O'Brien, an assistant last year, takes over as head coach of the Lady Rams this season.

Scott City lost six senior starters to graduation off last year's 10-5 squad, but O'Brien still looks for the Lady Rams to be competitive.

"I hope we'll be pretty solid," she said. "Pitching will be the key. We look pretty strong offensively and defensively, but we've got to develop some more pitchers."

Leading the pitching department and also playing shortstop will be senior Amy O'Brien, the coach's daughter who is the team's only returning player who saw much mound action last year.

Other seniors back are infielder/pitcher Sarah Glenn, infielder Amy Heisserer, catcher Tonya Mathews, first baseman Jessica Dees and outfielder Tara Phillips.

O'Brien will also be counting on, among others, sophomores Becca Edmondson, Kristin Burton and Trisha Clubb and freshmen Lindsay Baker and Tiffany Crail. Clubb, Baker and Crail all figure to pitch.

Scott City opens Thursday at Portageville.

Chaffee

The Lady Red Devils went 15-1 last year, with the lone loss being to Kelly, and coach Mark Devenport is expecting another big season thanks to six returning starters.

"I expect us to be real tough," said Devenport. "You always have to consider injuries and things like that, but if we stay healthy, I think we'll be very strong. We have the nucleus of a really good group back."

Two of Chaffee's top returning players are senior catcher Brandie Foulk and junior shortstop Jennifer Siebert, who batted .510 and .451, respectively, last season.

Also back are junior center fielder Abby Seyer, junior pitcher Jamie Duncan, sophomore second baseman Amy Burnett and junior right fielder Emily Siebert. All but Siebert batted better than .300 last year.

Duncan also excelled on the mound a year ago with a 9-1 record and a 1.44 earned-run average. She struck out 67 and walked just 11 in 53 innings.

Others who saw some action last year are senior outfielder Adria Meyr and sophomore first baseman Jill Little.

Devenport will also be looking for help from some of the eight freshmen he has, including third baseman Jody Pfefferkorn, who could earn a starting position.

Chaffee plays its first game March 30 at home against Meadow Heights.