By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Don’t be the best player on the team, be a player on the best team. That message has worked well for Great Bend High School softball coach Shawn Behr. A unique opportunity presented itself last August when then-softball coach Carrie Minton accepted an administrative position with the school. She approached Behr about taking over the softball program. Behr, a club softball coach and a former standout quarterback at GBHS and Fort Hays State University, has been coaching the girls since they were 10 years old. It was a perfect fit.
“For me, it was a no brainer,” Behr said Tuesday on 1590 KGVB/95.5 FM’s “Sports Day” program with Brant Daughtry. “I want in. I want to be a part of it. I have the easiest job – I just have to steer the ship through the middle of the channel and make sure we don’t run aground. The biggest thing is for these girls to have fun and enjoy it like they did when they were 10.”
In 2024, the Panther softball team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in nine years. Great Bend made an early exit to finish the season at 22-7. Two years later, many of the same players from the 2024 season are now seniors. The result: a 21-1 record. Great Bend ranks No. 7 in the state’s all-class power rankings. The lone blemish: a 3-1 loss to top-ranked Derby on April 18.
“I got a question from someone in our yearbook, and they asked me what I loved most about this team,” said senior Denver Ringo. “I’d say it’s our chemistry. I think that’s what’s getting us to where we are. We just work so well together, and all have the confidence in each other that if someone is down, we have someone who is going to back you up, no matter what.”
Behr has boiled down the science of softball to three things: throwing strikes, playing defense, and hitting the ball. The Panthers have excelled in all three aspects, recently capping a perfect 12-0 Western Athletic Conference schedule to claim a second-straight WAC title. Great Bend has scored at least 10 runs in 15 of its 22 games, and allowed four runs or fewer in 20 games. Eight opponents have failed to score a run.
Two pitchers have excelled in the circle. Junior Chayla Prendergast carries a paltry 1.08 ERA with an 8-1 record. She has 78 strikeouts in 65 innings of work. Senior Braelyn Turner is a perfect 9-0 with a 2.57 ERA. She has 36 strikeouts in her 46 innings of work.
The Panther offense has hit 16 home runs this year. Junior Kya Behr leads a powerful lineup with a .492 average, three homers, and 19 RBIs. Senior Alyssa McCauley has been a run-producing machine with a .400 average and 28 RBIs. Sophomore Callie Umphres is batting .453 with 16 RBIs, Ringo is batting .426 with 19 RBIs, and junior Camdyn Post is hitting .439 with 18 RBIs. Freshman Baze Hogan has been a nice addition with a .406 average in her 18 games played.
Coach Behr also told the stories of two more players. Katherine Mazouch approached him eight years ago with no softball experience. She’s now hitting .456 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Senior Ava Kaiser plays a key role in the outfield on defense, but has given up her spot at the plate.
“Ava is one of those girls who has to work,” said Behr. “In the summertime, she can’t spend an hour in the hitting cage. She can hit the ball, but unfortunately, she has 10 people who are .400-plus hitters in front of her. Her role has become, ‘Hey, I’m the best defensive player I can be.’ She is an anchor in the outfield. You want to talk some EPSN plays over the year. I’ve seen her make a lot of them. She is a huge part of what we do.”
Great Bend is scheduled to close out the regular season against Junction City and McPherson on Friday. The Panthers will likely enter the postseason as the No. 1 team in Class 5A West.