Mehlville Softball Seeks Improvement in 2011

In her first season as coach, Kristin Wheatley led the 2010 Mehlville softball team to a 7-18 record overall and a 1-7 record in the Suburban West Conference. Wheatley and the Panthers would love nothing more than to improve on that mark and reach .500 this season.

“On our last day of cuts, we had a big conversation of we know where we were last year, which was 7-18,” Wheatley said. “The only way to go is up. We’re still trying to just basically say we’re going to execute when we need to. That was our problem last year. We just never got the hit when we needed it.”

The Panthers graduated five seniors from their 2010 squad, but Wheatley believes she has the players to fill the voids.

“My five graduating seniors were really a cohesive unit,” Wheatley said. “One of them didn’t really stand out above the other, but they had played all four years together at the varsity level. Losing five key position players is going to be hard, but the players that we’ve replaced them with have stepped up.”

One of the players Mehlville does return is junior outfielder Jenna Parrott. Parrott batted .364 for the Panthers last season and led the team in slugging percentage (.523), hits (32), runs (28), doubles (8) and home runs (2).

Also back for the Panthers is the lone senior on the team, catcher Whitney Banjai, and junior first baseman and pitcher Amanda Lerbs. Banjai hit .321 for Mehlville last year and tied for the team lead in RBI with 14. Lerbs batted .360 and recorded 11 RBI.

“Jenna Parrott will probably be our standout hitter again,” Wheatley said. “But I’m pretty excited about Amanda Lerbs and Whitney Banjai stepping up as power to help surround Jenna.”

Wheatley said the Panthers will once again rely on the same two pitchers as they did a year ago – junior Michelle Boyer and Lerbs.

Boyer started 12 games last season and completed six of them. She had a 3-11 record and an ERA of 4.92. Lerbs started eight games last year, had a 2-4 record and an ERA of 8.52. Parrott was the only other Panther to pitch last season, as she appeared in seven games and had a 5.60 ERA.

Even though the Mehlville softball program has struggled in recent years, Wheatley and the Panthers are still shooting for a .500 record in 2011.

“For sure we want to get to .500, and that’s a team goal that we’ve come up with,” Wheatley said. “And then also, executing on the plays we need to. Through the line-up, being able to do whatever is needed of the team, whether it just be a piddly sacrifice bunt or really taking an approach as a team.”

So far this season, Mehlville is 1-5. The Panthers won their opening game against Incarnate Word 10-1, but the team is on a five-game losing streak. The Panthers face Eureka tonight at the Wildcats' stadium. 

Banjai and Parrott are hitting .438 and .429, respectively. Boyer and Lerbs have started three games apiece. Boyer has a 5.56 ERA while Lerbs has an 11.67 ERA.

Mehlville hosts Affton on Sept. 7 and Parkway South on Sept. 8. The Panthers play host to rival Oakville on Sept. 15 at 4:15 p.m.