Pirates Set To Continue Where They Left Off

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

A year after becoming the Sunrise League champions in the 3A, the Moapa Valley High School Softball team feels confident they will be able to return to contention. After losing three seniors, the Pirates prepare to fill those spots in the lineup with athletic underclassmen. A consistent infield and dominant senior leadership should help the Pirates make another run.

Last season, the Pirates came up just short in the playoffs, falling to Pahrump Valley after a 13 run second inning by the Trojans. Moapa was just one win from going to the state tournament in back to back seasons.

Head Coach Matt Messer says he sees no reason to believe the Pirates would take any steps backward.
“I expect nothing much to change,” Messer said. “I think we’re going to be right up there to compete with Boulder City and Pahrump.

Messer cited the experience of the team’s returners as a basis for optimism, “I think we have a lot of returning girls that have even more experience because of the last couple playoff runs,” he said.

Looking down the lineup, the Pirate infield will be unchanged from last season.
The primary holes the team will look to fill are in the outfield and behind the plate.
“I think the girls we’re plugging holes with are a little younger,” Messer said. “They’re just as talented, it’s just a matter of how they get experience. It might just take us a little longer than usual.”

On the mound, the team has high expectations for senior pitcher Emilie Barraza, who saw plenty of work for the Pirates last season. Barraza yielded a .741 win percentage last year alongside 97 strikeouts.

Barraza is part of a senior trio that Messer expects to offer plenty of leadership to the team.
“Lainey Cornwall, Sierra Staheli, and Emilie Barraza will be our captains and they will just take care of business,” Messer said. “Those three seniors will be huge for us.”

He also pointed out that Cornwall and Staheli will be playing alongside their younger siblings Ellie Cornwall and Mackenzie Staheli. “They’ll be taking on the big sister role and team leader role at the same time,” Messer said.

Perhaps one of the biggest early challenges facing the Pirates, at least in the first few games, will be the sudden turnaround for many of the Pirate athletes after the girls basketball season. Cornwall, Barraza, and junior Kaitlyn Anderson are all fresh off of a State Tournament run on the hardwood. The transition is something Messer plans to focus on in the first few weeks.

“I expect us to have some bumps, but I also expect some of that returning leadership to come back and pick up where we left off,” Messer said.

The Pirates’ season will begin at the Desert Winds Tournament in Mesquite on Thursday, March 7 which will continue into Saturday afternoon. Moapa Valley plans to use this early season tournament as an opportunity to springboard into league games in the weeks following.

Headlined by a strong senior class and younger athletes beaming with upside, the Pirates will be a team to watch out for on the diamond.