Camels softball looks ahead to next year with third-place finish in 2023

That was always the team’s identity this year. No matter what, the Camels were going to be the loudest, most supportive team on the field. And it almost worked as the Camels found two runs late but couldn’t overcome the deficit in the state tournament.

“Our culture this season was amazing,” Haley Gray said. “This is the best season I’ve coached where the girls had each other’s backs. There’s no drama — they built each other up. They really were a unit.”

Campbell County finished third for the second year in a row at the state softball tournament, but the team has high hopes for the future. The experience the youth of the team gives coach Haley Gray and the Camels the confidence that they will be back next year and can improve upon their third-place finishes of 2022 and 2023.

Looking for revenge

One of the few teams to beat Cheyenne East in the regular season this year was Campbell County. In fact, the Camels did it twice and were the only team to accomplish that feat until Thunder Basin did it on Friday and Saturday of the state tournament. The Camels came an inning away from winning three games against them before losing on Friday morning.

So when the Camels faced the Thunderbirds again on Saturday morning, the team was excited for the chance to take back a win.

Cheyenne East took an early lead with four runs in the first inning. Jadeyn “Red” Snyder earned the start in the circle after she had two big wins on Friday. After the first inning Snyder slowed the Thunderbirds down and prevented a run in the second inning before Gray pulled her in favor of a fresh Avery Gray.

Campbell County earned its first run after Addie Rambo singled to bring Lanae Kimbley home. A back-and-forth ensued as Cheyenne East responded with a solo home run from Aleah Brooks in the third inning. In the fourth, the Thunderbirds extended the score to 8-1, but the Camels clawed their way back with three runs in the fifth. Two RBI singles from Kimbley and Gray brought the Camels’ score up to three when sophomore Zoey Hutton scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to four.

After two half innings of no runs from either team, Cheyenne East brought home two more runs in the sixth to bring its total to 10.

As the Camels stepped back up to bat, they found themselves down six, the same deficit Cheyenne East saw in the Friday morning game. The Camels came out swinging, and made a push that gave coach Haley Gray hope for a comeback win.

After a strikeout to start the seventh, Bayley Gray and Kimbley hit singles, which set Avery Gray up for her two-RBI double. The Camels’ dugout was as loud in the moment as it had been down six. The energy was full of hope and support for its team.

Campbell County fell short, but after the game there was a lot of pride mixed with the tears. They never gave up in the game and they never gave up on each other.

“We kept our heads up and stayed together,” Sam Torres said. “We definitely did better this year than last year, we kept pushing. We didn’t let it get to us. We blocked everything out, we blocked all the sounds out and focused on our goal.”

Looking ahead to 2024

Before the 2021 softball season, Haley Gray looked through the rosters from around the state. One of her takeaways was that 2024 was going to be a good year.

“Watching kids grow through the game — those sophomores and juniors — have so much more knowledge,” Gray said. “They know how to hit a change-up. They know when to throw the ball and when not to. We’re young and we’ve got a lot of starting kids coming back.”

One of the most encouraging things about this year’s Campbell County team is its youth. The team only had two seniors in the starting lineup: Snyder and shortstop Taylor Curtin. Both will leave big shoes to fill, but there are players on the team ready to step up.

One of those is Torres who started as the right fielder through the tournament and was the team’s third pitcher and second baseman during the regular season. This offseason, Torres will be honing in on her pitching to be ready for her junior season and the workload she will likely see in the circle.

There are several others who made an impact in their sophomore season. Kimbley, who went 3-4 on Saturday, was one of the most prolific batters this season. Bayley Gray moved to catcher and rarely allowed a ball to get past her. Patience Smith started at right fielder for the season and was one of the better hitters on the team. Zoey Hutton was the courtesy runner of choice this season.

It won’t be easy next year. The state tournament runs through Gillette and across town is the back-to-back defending champs. But the Camels are confident in their abilities. Next year will be a big year for the program.

Campbell County’s year didn’t end the way the team wanted to, but the Camels have a better idea of what it takes to win. They learned a lot about themselves and their opponents this postseason run. And when it comes to this time next year, that experience will pay off.

“We see what we can do right now,” Torres said. “A lot of us are young and we can grow. We’re ready, we’re confident — we’re excited to dominate next year.”