Platte County twice put a good scare into the eventual Class 4 state champions but somewhat surprisingly didn’t end up with a selection to the Missouri Fastpitch Coaches Association all-state teams this season. Instead, four of the five seniors plus a junior catcher and freshman pitcher were All-Class 4 Region 4 selections after the Pirates went 13-14 this past season.
Platte County built leads of 4-1 and 5-2 against Kearney in the Class 4 District 8 championship game but ended up with a 14-5 loss after allowing 11 runs in the decisive bottom of the sixth. The Bulldogs also won the regular season meeting between the two teams 7-6 and earned the top seed in the postseason bracket.
Kearney went on to capture the Class 4 state championship with two of the closest calls against Platte County.
Platte County seniors TK Lawson (first base), Mackenzie Shields (third base/pitcher), Demi Riechers (shortstop), Abby Reynolds (outfield) Ava Carter (outfield) helped the Pirates reach a district championship game for a third straight season but came up short of another playoff berth after finishing third in state in both 2020 and 2021.
As juniors, Lawson and Shields both earned all-state honors in Class 4.
Lawson finished her senior season with a team-highs of nine doubles, eight home runs and 40 RBIs with a .351/.433/.779 slash line for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. She also hit eight home runs as a junior.
Shields led Platte County with a .419 batting average to go with six doubles, a team-high three triples, two home runs, 31 RBIs and 24 runs scored. She also pitched 28 2/3 innings, mostly in relief.
This ended up the difficult end of a successful run for five Platte County seniors — Mackenzie Shields, first baseman TK Lawson, shortstop Demi Riechers, infielder Ava Carter and centerfielder Abby Reynolds. They were integral parts of back-to-back runs to the Class 4 semifinals and were seemingly ready to lead the playoff return despite an up-and-down season where the Pirates never fully hit their stride against a difficult schedule.
POSTSEASON HONORS
ALL-SUBURBAN CONFERENCE WHITE DIVISION
First Team
IF — TK Lawson, Sr.; OF — Avery Webster, Jr.; C — Morgan Shields, Jr.; U/DP — Mackenzie Shields, Sr.
Second Team
IF — Demi Riechers, Sr.; Emma Reed, Jr.; OF — Abby Reynolds, Sr.; P — Danica Salisbury, Fr.
ALL-CLASS 4 DISTRICT 8
First Team
P — Danica Salisbury, Fr.; C — Morgan Shields, Jr.; IF — TK Lawson, Sr.; Demi Riechers, Sr.; OF — Abby Reynolds, Sr.; U/DP — Mackenzie Shields, Sr.
Second Team
OF — Avery Webster, Jr.
Honorable Mention
IF — Emma Reed, Jr.
ALL-CLASS 4 REGION 4
First Team
C — Morgan Shields, Jr; IF — TK Lawson, Sr.; U/DP — Mackenzie Shields, Sr.
Second Team
P — Danica Salisbury, Fr.; IF — Demi Riechers, Sr.; OF — Abby Reynolds, Sr.
