With the amount and quality of returners, Platte County can emphatically keep earning an elusive playoff bid as this season’s focal point. The Pirates certainly have the talent not just to end a postseason drought but make a run at hardware, as well.
Platte County senior shortstop Bryli Seifert, already a three-time all-state pick and an LSU commit, might serve as the centerpiece of a strong lineup, but the Pirates also have seniors in other key spots — Reagan Ball (pitcher/first base), Lillian Talbot (left field/pitcher) and Kelly Bullano (center field). Add in junior third baseman Kinleigh Howren and sophomore power hitter Gracelynn Shippee, and the Pirates have the right blend for a strong lineup and defensive alignment.
Last fall, four seniors graduated having led Platte County to 71 total wins in their careers and four appearances in the Class 4 District 8 title game — each ending with a loss to Kearney.
“We have a really large, powerful senior class that has been impactful to the program for the last three years,” said Platte County coach Callie Peoples, who owns a 146-71 career record. “I don’t see this year being any different. They have big goals. To achieve those goals and get past our second-place district slump, everyone in our core group is going to have to hone in on what strengths they bring to the team and play that role.”
Despite opposing teams often trying to limit opportunities at the plate, Seifert put up another statistically outstanding season as a junior and garnered a third straight selection to the Class 4 Missouri Fastpitch Coaches Association (MOHSFCA) all-state team. MOHSFCA only named one list of honorees this season, but she made the first team as a freshman and second team as a sophomore and goes into her senior season with 16 career home runs.
Seifert led the Pirates in almost every statistical offensive category in 2025 while also committing just five errors on over 100 defensive chances at shortstop. She hit .493 with a .600 on-base percentage and slugging .947 for an OPS of 1.547 with team-highs of 10 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 31 RBIs and 38 runs.
Seifert walked 12 times while striking out just four times. She set career-highs in home runs, runs and stolen bases (13).
The players in front of Seifert in last season’s lineup helped give her plenty of chances to hit with runners on base.
A third-year starter, Howren hit leadoff with a .400 batting average and .486 on-base percentage, fueled by 12 extra-base hits (six doubles, six triples) and 10 walks while stealing 12 bases and scoring 36 runs. Injuries limited Talbot to 22 games, but she hit .444 with two home runs, two triples and five doubles while stealing 13 bases.
Platte County averaged 7.1 runs per game while finishing 11-3 in Suburban Conference White Division play. The Pirates do need to replace four seniors who started most or all of multiple seasons with Danica Salisbury a central contributor for the entirety of her career. She even reemerged as a top pitching option down the stretch last fall and garnered multiple postseason honors. In addition, the Pirates lose two-year catcher Gwen Duncan, who struggled at the plate as a senior but still had four extra-base hits and supplied steady defense, and second baseman Marlee Snyder-Richardson — a breakout performer in her second year as a starter. She hit .346 with 20 RBIs and 17 runs scored.
With Salisbury out of the pitching rotation, Ball again serves as the No. 1 after starting 15 games as junior and going 8-7 with one save in a team-high 98 2/3 innings. She struck out 31 and walked just 22.
Talbot appeared in only three games a pitcher with a 2-0 record in 12 1/3 innings, striking out nine. Ball and Talbot were both MOHSFCA All-Class 4 Region 4 selections last season.
Ball also emerged as the cleanup hitter for Platte County and posted .427 on-base and .447 slugging percentages. She finished with seven doubles, one home run and 22 RBIs — third on the team behind Seifert and Shippee (23). When Ball appears in the pitching circle, Shippee should see more time at first base after serving as a designated hitter in a freshman season where she impressed early and then drew extra attention from opposing pitchers down the stretch.
Shippee hit three home runs with a .329 batting average as a key middle-of-the order bat.
Bullano (.348 on-base percentage, nine doubles, two triples 11 stolen bases) and junior Brynna Peterson (.333 on-base percentage, 11 RBIs) were key pieces of last year’s outfield, along with sophomore Eva Bane. Peterson could also play second base this year with with freshman Caroline Reynolds also looking to earn a starting spot, while junior Lacy Hayes also factors into the depth in the outfield and at pitcher.
Bane, who split time with Peterson in right field as a freshman, shifts to catcher for Platte County after hitting .271 with four doubles in 17 games.
“This is a new position for Eva, but she is athletic, has a great arm, is fearless, and is not afraid to try new things,” Peoples said.
Platte County has posted 19 wins in or more five of the last six seasons and have not had fewer than 13 in two decades. The Pirates have reached the district title game seven years in a row with the recent losses to Kearney coming on the heels of back-to-back trips to the state semifinals and third-place finishes in Class 4 for 2020 and 2021.
