Emma Noble and Murray have bats and they're not afraid to use them.
Photo courtesy of Murray softball
High-powered offense takes on a whole new meaning when softball teams draw
Murray as their opponent.
The Spartans pile up hits and runs in the blink of an eye. How complete has their domination been on the scoreboard this season? Murray has scored 289 runs with one regular season game remaining – good for 11.6 runs per game.
No other Class 4A team has tallied more runs this spring. The Spartans rank third in Utah in scoring behind Uintah and Parowan – who are tied for first with 294 runs apiece.
Lexie Sprague, Murray
Photo courtesy of Murray softball
Communication is the secret ingredient behind Murray's success. Baserunners do a good job of signaling what pitches are in store for the next batter at the plate. Batters who strike out offer up an impromptu scouting report in the dugout on the pitcher's tendencies.
"I feel like we're all very comfortable around each other and we're willing to help each other out," sophomore
Lexie Sprague said. "It's not like, 'If I help them, they're going to be better than me and they're going to take my spot.' You want to help them because if you help one person, it helps the entire team."
Explosiveness on offense starts with
Emma Noble, Murray's leadoff hitter. Noble has enjoyed an incredible junior season, leading the state with 56 runs scored on 45 hits and a .542 batting average. Noble also ranks second statewide in home runs (11) and fourth in RBIs (38).
She credits her success to having a deep batting order. Sprague has 10 home runs to rank fourth in the state and other Murray players like
Cassidy Howe and
Maddie Fritsch have also been consistent in piling up extra-base hits.
"You can be more aggressive on the bases and maybe more aggressive in the batter's box because you know if you don't succeed, softball is a game a failure and someone is going to have your back," Noble said.
It has boosted a young Murray team into first place in Region 7. The Spartans (19-6) have the third-best record in Class 4A behind Spanish Fork and Springville.
Defense is a concern at times for Murray. The Spartans are allowing 6.04 runs per game and they have faced many situations where they have had to play from behind just to secure a victory.
Still, the offense is so explosive that it covers up for mistakes in other areas. At one point in the season, Murray had an 11-game stretch where it scored 12 or more runs eight times and posted a season high of 23 runs in a win over Timpanogos last month.
Cassidy Howe, Murray
Photo courtesy of Murray softball
"Our offense is coming along really well," Murray coach Lisa Parker said. "We have some great hitters on this team. Although we're a very young team, our offense ranks quite high on hitting. It's one of our best hitting teams, which is a good thing because we, unfortunately, are still making mistakes on defense."
Now the next step for the Spartans is getting offensive production to translate into postseason success. Murray has not had fortune on its side in recent state tournaments. Since winning a pair of Class 4A softball titles in 2005 and 2007, the Spartans have reached just one other championship game – when they finished as Class 5A runner-up to Roy in 2011.
Murray is hungry to take a step forward again after falling into the consolation bracket and suffering early eliminations each of the last two seasons.
Noble is hopeful the Spartans can finally turn the page and write a new story with their offense when the Class 4A Tournament gets underway next week.
"We just need to remember to hit the ball," Noble said. "At most, we're going to have to outscore people and so we just have to work on hitting the ball and staying calm. In past years, we've gotten a little squirrely when it gets to the playoffs. We kind of freak out. So we need to stay calm in the batter's box and on the field."
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can reach him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
