Backfisch to play softball at TRCC

Londyn Backfisch, a senior at Thomas W. Kelly High School, recently signed a letter of intent to play softball at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff. Pictured with Backfisch are, front row, from left: her mother Paula Phillips, Backfisch and her father Jim Backfisch. Back row, from left: Kelly assistant coach Melanie Heuring, TRCC head coach Jack Childress, TRCC assistant coach Christa Albright and Kelly head coach Rhonda Ratledge. (Photo by Josh Mills, Staff)

Infielder set records while playing at Kelly

sd_sports@yahoo.com

BENTON -- The Kelly Lady Hawks softball dynasty lives on, this time in the form of infielder Londyn Backfisch. The Kelly senior signed a letter of intent last week to play softball for Jack Childress and the Three Rivers Community College Lady Raiders.

Backfisch, a state-record holder on the diamond, joins two other local athletes, Mallory Siebert and Lauren Reinagel, both from Notre Dame. She said that playing alongside the two will be a nice change from competing against them year after year.

"(Lauren) Reinagel and (Mallory) Siebert have always been rivals, but have always been some of my really good friends," said Backfisch about her fellow recruits. "It's definitely going to be an experience worthwhile (going from rivals to teammates)."

As for Backfisch's record-holding background, as a junior, she set a record for stolen bases in a game, five against East Carter Co. and racked up 43 stolen bases in just 28 games, averaging 1.54 steals per game.

Also in her junior season, the entire squad set several records including doubles in a season with 48 through 28 games, 160 RBIs as a team and had a team average of .334. The 2008 squad stole 136 bases, scored 204 runs, recorded 541 putouts and that winning season along with the 2009 winning season gives the Lady Hawks 15 consecutive.

Backfisch said that a major part of the reason she's able to head to the collegiate level is due to her high school coach, Rhonda Ratledge, whom most of the players call 'Coach Rat.'

"The program that I'm leaving is a really, really good program," she said. "I'm proud to have been a part of it. I know that Coach Rat has done really well with us. She's done well with me and my surgery and has been there for me 100 percent and my teammates have too.

"I'm really going to miss this program, but I'm looking forward to my new one too. I know I'm leaving a really good tradition."

According to Childress, the TRCC program is thrilled to have the talented Backfisch heading their direction.

"I'm getting a quality player, an all-state player," said Childress. "Anytime you get a player out of this lady's program (he said pointing to Ratledge), you can count on them. All of them have been really good for me."

"She's versatile and she's got speed," he went on to say about Backfisch. "You can't teach speed. She's got a great personality and I think she's really going to fit in with us. She's like (Jose) O'Quendo, she'll play just about anywhere."

Ratledge said that filling Backfisch's spot next season will be a big task for the Lady Hawks.

"There are some big shoes to fill there," she said. "She's been a varsity starter all four years. For several years she was at second base, and switching to shortstop this year she had some big shoes to fill from Katee Moore.

"She had our highest batting average and last year (2008 season) she broke record after record with stolen bases and things like that. Definitely, we'll be able to tell that she's not there next year."

Backfisch is just one more college signee that Ratledge and her program have had pleasure in seeing off following yet another great season.

"That's what we try to gear our girls for and work toward, is that next level, and she made it," Ratledge said. "This is where she wanted to go, and she's not only a good athlete, but she's a good student as well. She strives for perfection and she usually meets those expectations."