HEARTLAND TEAMS SEEK NATIONAL TITLES

BENTON, Mo. -- A pair of Benton-based girls fast-pitch softball teams will attempt to bring home national championships when they compete in the Babe Ruth Softball World Series beginning Sunday.

The 16-under Heartland Heat will participate in Milleville, N.J., while the 12-under Heartland Nationals will compete in Wilson, N.C. Both local squads advanced by winning Midwest Plains Regional titles that they hosted earlier this month in Kelso, Mo.

"We're ready to go," said Heat manager Doug Johnson. "We know it's going to be tough, but we feel like we have a good chance (to capture the title)."

Said Nationals manager Ron Schlosser, "Everybody out there is going to be very good. We're expecting some tough ballgames, but we feel like we have a shot (at the title)."

The Heat will play their first World Series game at noon Sunday when they take on the New Jersey state champion. That will be the first of four pool play contests for the Heat. The top three finishers in each five-team pool advance to a double-elimination tournament format.

Johnson regards the Heat as a well-balanced team, keyed by standout pitching.

"We're a well rounded team," he said. "Our pitching has been very good all year. We've also been hitting the ball real well, our defense has been solid, we've got a lot of speed and we have depth. We're a very good team."

Ten of the Heat's 13 players are from Kelly High School, which has one of the state's top small-school prep programs. All three pitchers are from Kelly, with Marissa Essner and Bridgett Riley heading up the staff and Dana Essner lending solid support.

"Marissa and Bridgett have matured a lot knowing what to pitch to certain hitters," Johnson said.

Other Kelly products on the squad are Allison Johnson, Kari Lape, Ashley Kern, Monica Senciboy, Sara Essner, Cara Scherer and Alana Burford. Rounding out the team are Stacey Schwartz of Notre Dame, Amanda O'Brien of Scott City and Kate Pfefferkorn from Chaffee.

Johnson's coaching staff consists of Randy Kern and Mike Senciboy.

The Heat finished fourth in last year's World Series. Several of those same players return, while many of the other players came off the 14-under team that Johnson coached to a regional title last year, although there was no World Series for that age division.

"As long as they stay focused on what they're doing, I think we have a good chance to win it," Johnson said. "You never know what to expect. I know we'll be facing some tough teams, but I feel like we'll be able to match up."

The Nationals will also play their first World Series game at noon Sunday when they take on the North Carolina state champion. Like in the 16-under division, the 12-under squads will all have four pool play contests, with the top three finishers in each five-team pool advancing to double-elimination tournament competition.

Schlosser's team returns eight players from last year's group that finished fourth in the 12-under World Series, so all that experience should definitely aid the Nationals.

"We have a solid team," Schlosser said. "The biggest point is that we have three good pitchers who can throw pretty good heat and also have good changeups."

Like the Heat, the Nationals draw the bulk of their players -- 11 of the 14 -- from the Benton area that feeds into the Kelly School District, including pitchers Kelly Essner, Whitney Beggs and Michelle Collins. Essner and Beggs do the bulk of the hurling but Collins also gets her share of work, said Schlosser.

Other players from the Benton area are Miranda Schlosser, Mindy Robert, Katie Mothershead, Stephanie Hency, Meghan Tetley, Jaime Jackson, Kristain Burger and Summer Proctor. Rounding out the team are Whitney Horrell and Sarah Dooley, both from Chaffee, and Alana Weissmueller of Kelso.

Coaches for the Nationals are Tom Essner and Dusty Collins.

"I feel like we have a good chance," said Schlosser. "I know the Babe Ruth people are thinking we might finish high, but who knows. We expect to face the same caliber of pitching that we have with our team. I expect a lot of one-run games and two-run games. It won't be easy."

* Both managers said they would like to thank all the sponsors that helped out both during the Midwest Plains Regional Tournament and also during the upcoming World Series.