With only two weeks to go in the 2011 fall softball season, OHS is ranked seventh in St. Louis according to STLhighschoolSPORTS.com (as of Sept. 19). With a 11-3 record, the girls look to play their best softball heading into the end of the season.

“The goal every year is to get better as the season progresses, so we’re playing top level softball when it counts (in districts),” head coach Rich Sturm said.

The team has been able to pull out several close games including a 4-1 win over Seckman on Sept. 7, and a recent 3-2 win over Lindbergh on Sept. 13. Coach Sturm attributes much of this success to four year varsity starter, Lauren Fussell (12), who is batting .500 with 15 RBIs and two homeruns (as of Sept. 19).

“She always puts the team first, and she’s always positive. I think even if she wasn’t having an outstanding season, she’d still be just as enthusiastic,” Sturm said.

Other key contributors are Lexi Klable (11), Jordan Michalski (9), who leads the team in every major pitching category, Katie Reed (9), Savannah Fedorchak (11), and Rachel McNamara (11), who leads the team in batting average, hitting .556 (as of Sept. 19).

As the district playoffs approach, the chance to work out any remaining kinks becomes less and less, due to the busy game schedule.

“With as few as two or three practices left, we’d like to work on situational defense and bunt coverages,” Sturm said. “We’d also like to continue working on our offense. We just want to try to get better and better each day, especially at all the little things.”

Overall, Sturm said he has high expectations for this team, that they’ll be able to compete for a district championship and beyond.

The Tigers have eight remaining games on their schedule. They hope to win them all and gain momentum heading into the district tournament. OHS will take on Parkway South at home, this Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4:15 pm.