The Kelly High Lady Hawks might be the smallest area school to field a girls softball team, but the Class 2A state runners-up will return plenty of talent when the fast-pitch season begins this week.

Kelly returns seven starters from last year's 16-4 team that came within one win of a state title. Perryville also returns several players from last year.

On the other hand, Cape Central and Jackson may be looking at rebuilding years with several players gone from last season's solid teams.

A look at the area softball teams for 1997:

Cape Central

The Lady Tigers are losing a lot of experienced talent off last year's 11-7 team and head coach Don Lang knows it.

"We're young and I expect us to make young mistakes," Lang said. "But we have a good work ethic and I expect us to surprise some people later in the year."

Five starters -- including all-state catcher Abby Harris -- were lost to graduation. Of the 14 players on its roster, Central returns only three players that saw significant action in 1996.

Seniors Amy Harris and Sarah Brune are back after all-conference seasons. Harris played first base while Brune covered right field. Junior third baseman Cassie Koch is the only other returning starter.

"The corners are returning and everything else is open," said Lang with a laugh. "It's going to be interesting for a while."

With no other experienced outfielders, Brune may move to center field to solidify the outfield. But in early practices, the Lady Tigers coach was pleasantly surprised with his crop of young outfielders.

Last year's No. 2 pitcher, Jessica Keys, will now be the top hurler for the Lady Tigers. Even without that one dominating pitcher, the pitching staff could be a strength for Central.

"The pitching is as deep as I've ever had it here," said Lang. "We have five girls that can really throw."

Juniors Kim Aslinger, Kathy Michel and Erica McDonald will provide depth on the hill. Freshman Kasi Childers may also split time with the varsity and junior varsity.

Replacing all-stater Harris behind the plate initially will be sophomore Jennifer Daume. Senior Jessica Turner, who lettered last year, could wind up catching or in the outfield after returning from an injury.

Central hosts Oakville Wednesday to start the season.

Jackson

Last year, with a 5-1 league record, the Lady Indians were the top team in the SEMO Conference consisting of Cape Central, Kelly and Poplar Bluff.

This year may be a different story.

Although losing six starters from last year's 14-8 district finalist team, coach Becky Riney still thinks she has the talent to compete in 1997.

"I look at it as a rebuilding year, but we've still got some talent," said Riney. "We've got three good seniors, two pitchers and all four juniors are solid. And the sophomores will be pushing for playing time."

The Lady Indians lost an all-state battery to graduation in pitcher Alisha Liley and catcher Mindy Myers, and also graduated several of their top hitters.

"We're losing a lot of our top hitters from last year," Riney said. "We can put a pretty good defensive lineup out there, but we may struggle to score runs."

Three-year starter Dana Eakins should provide plenty of leadership at second base in her final year. Classmates Christy Teets and Staci Seabaugh return from last season and will handle most of the pitching.

Two juniors who started in the infield, Melissa Palmer and shortstop Jessica Sander, are back. Palmer can play either first or third base.

Carrie Myers, who was injured most of last year, and Jessica Shultz -- both juniors -- should also make an impact. Seniors Caroline Harper (outfield), Nicki Hobeck (infield/outfield) and Heather VanGennip (infield/outfield) will also see action.

The four sophomores pushing for playing time are: pitcher Beth Becker, center fielder Cherish Tillman, second baseman Megan Kuntze and catcher Emily Sander. Freshman Amanda Bullinger is also looking to break the lineup.

The Lady Indians open at home Wednesday against St. Louis Notre Dame.

Perryville

The Lady Pirates return seven starters from last year's 10-7 club, giving coach Lynn O'Neil a cautiously optimistic outlook for the coming year.

"We've got a lot of speed at the top of the batting order and a lot of hitters back from last year," said O'Neal. "Pitching should be strong, so we should be improved."

Seniors Sara Koenig and Sara Hadler are returning starters back for their final seasons. Koenig was an all-district third baseman a year ago, batting .408. Hadler returns in center field after batting .348.

"We've got a lot of experience coming back, but we're still young, " O'Neil said. "We have six underclassmen starters."

Juniors make up a large portion of the returning starters. Lauren Tucker will be in the starting lineup at first base along with classmates Andrea Regelsperger at catcher and Jennifer Dunker in left field.

Regelsperger batted .333 last year and Tucker, a left-handed batter, has improved at the plate in early practices.

Twin sisters Carrie and Julie Preston, both juniors, will also return to the starting lineup. Carrie, who pitched for the junior varsity last year, will handle most of the mound duties while Julie will play second base.

Sophomore Amanda Schumer, who started the last several games for the Lady Pirates, will be back at shortstop. As a freshman, Schumer batter .308.

Senior Kelly Scholl and sophomore transfer Jeni Moore from Sparta, Ill., will also see plenty of action -- Scholl in the outfield and Moore as a pitcher.

The Lady Pirates open at home Friday against Windsor.

Kelly

Entering her fourth season as coach of the Lady Hawks, Rhonda Evans has to like what she sees returning for another run at the Class 2A title.

Seven starters, including all-state infielders Pam Essner and Ashley Beggs, will be back for the 1997 season. Essner, a senior, returns at third base where she hit .377 and stole 29 bases. Beggs, a junior who batted .390, will handle second base again.

Three other senior starters -- shortstop Jennifer McNeil, first baseman Christy Glasstetter and right fielder Brandi Hamm -- bring back plenty of veteran leadership.

"These girls are all pretty good," said Evans. "Most of the girls just played in the national tournament, so we should be solid if the girls keep their heads in games like they have all summer."

Several of the Lady Hawks played on the 16-18-year-old Bootheel Bandits All-Star team that finished second in the nation recently at the National Babe Ruth Tournament in Benton. That experience should prove valuable.

"We have an excellent summer program here," said Evans. "They play (high school) in the fall, then play all summer. It really is a big advantage."

It's an advantage that has helped Kelly claim 11 consecutive district titles entering this season.

"We usually have a pretty solid program every year," Evans said. "We always have excellent pitching and defense."

Kelly lost all-state pitcher Molly McKinney, but the Lady Hawks have several pitchers on hand to take up the slack.

Senior Kim Riley will likely be the stopper on the mound with help from juniors Britney Lambert and Cheryl Barnett. Riley saw a lot of action last year, while Lambert and Barnett pitched on the junior varsity level.

Kelly starts the season Sept. 2 with a home game against Jackson.