A trip to Brandon last weekend for the 2025 North 2A Regional Fast-Pitch Tournament ended the softball season for the North Sunflower Academy Lady Rebels. An opening round loss to Canton Academy, 18-0, and second round loss to Deer Creek, 13-2, finished the season.
Glimpses of future success were evident all season as the team got a late start in preparing and had few bodies to build a team from. But first-year Head Coach Abbi Cataldo dug in and pulled the best out of everyone to surprise opponents and fans right out of the gate.
“Overall, I’m so proud of the girls. They’ve overcome more adversity than any team I’ve seen,” Coach Cataldo said. “With a roster of 11, the girls had to learn to play different positions and get put in places where they were uncomfortable. They always did it with a smile.”
And the learning came on the field and off.
“These girls taught me more than I could have ever taught them. With only two practices before our first game, they played with so much joy, fight, and grit through the entire season. They stole my heart and became my little ducklings in no time.”
Coach Cataldo will return for the 2026 season and is already in preparation.
“I am very excited to start working with them next season. We start on June 1st and I’m super antsy to see what we can do with a few months of practice,” she said.
