Lady Bucks looking to reclaim D4 crown in 2023

By Bees O’Brien

FARWELL, PA – When Bucktail fell 1-0 in last year’s District IV 1A semifinal to eventual state champions Montgomery, many were buzzing throughout the crowd that that game was in fact the true district title game. Once Montgomery went on their run through the state playoffs, it started to become apparent to those around both the Montgomery and Bucktail programs that that game in Elm Park could have possibly decided the 2022 state championship.

Bucktail went 18-3 last season. Their only losses came at the hands of Faith Persing and the Lady Raiders. Persing has since graduated, as did 11 other Montgomery players, 8 of those were starters.

Bucktail was hit hard by graduation as well. Their all-time strikeout leader in the circle in Emma Poorman graduated, along with the program’s all-time hits leader Jordan Burrows and all-conference outfielder Rayleigh Isaacs.

Head coach Mike Poorman knew those three players would be huge losses, but he’s found a way to build a program and a culture at Bucktail. He’s reloaded with four talented freshman that will make an immediate impact.

He also returns a huge number of talented and experienced players led by junior Mak Wagner and senior Haley Burrows. Both were all-state selections a season ago.

Wagner will be Bucktail’s top arm in the circle, but she’ll have plenty of help with a trio of freshman hurlers that have made names for themselves coming up through junior high and on the highly competitive travel ball circuit.

Eva Sockman, Lola English and Makenna Stone will look to provide the Lady Bucks with the most depth that they’ve possibly ever had from a pitching standpoint.

Wagner tied Emma Poorman with an incredible 1.63 ERA. Wagner’s pitching was impressive, but her numbers at the plate were incredible.She hit an amazing .603 with 3 home runs and 39 RBI’s. She and Haley Burrows combined for 62 stolen bases, with Burrows leading the way with 32.

Burrows has afterburners and could very well be one of the best base runners in the Mid Penn Conference. Burrows led Bucktail with 6 triples and 42 runs scored, while hitting .492 and adding an inside the park home run.

The outfield is solid with all-conference right fielder Alexis Lowery and senior Kayla Probert in centerfield. Look for several Lady Bucks utility players to anchor left field. Matti Mason, who hit .407 a season ago is one of the candidates to see time in left field. Lola English and Makenna Stone will also possibly see time in the outfield.

Senior third baseman Lily Francis will be holding down the hot corner again. Francis hit .360 last season with a pair of home runs. Freshman Kendall Wagner will be holding down first base, but Coach Poorman has a variety of options anywhere in the infield. That includes shortstop when Mak Wagner is in the circle, second base when Burrows is catching. When she isn’t behind the plate freshman Eva Sockman could be Bucktail’s backstop at times.

Bucktail made a major overhaul with their non-conference schedule by adding 4A Jersey Shore and 2022 1A runner’s up DuBois Central Catholic to their schedule. They also added a pair of games against District 9 playoff contenders Oswayo Valley.

Other nonconference games include Warrior Run (3A), Sayre (2A) and West Branch (2A).

Within the Mid Penn Conference it is no secret that the conference championship will be a three-way battle among Muncy, Northwest and Bucktail. Millville, Montgomery and Sullivan County could cause some challenges as the season goes on.

District IV 1A will only get one state qualifier this season and that will be the district champion. Cowanesque Valley and Northeast Bradford moved up a classification to 2A, which left D4 with just nine teams, one team shy of getting a second qualifier.

Within districts it may come down to Bucktail and possibly Canton. The district is way down going into the 2023 season in 1A, which means they may fall short of qualifying a complete 8-team field for playoffs. There could be some surprises that sneak in. Montgomery has a tradition of winning, so don’t sleep on them despite their losses. A weaker schedule could also see the likes of St. John Neumann, Sullivan County, Millville and even Sugar Valley Rural Charter find themselves extending their seasons.

Bucktail opens their 2023 season on Tuesday, March 28 when they host St. John Neumann and then on March 30 they will host defending state champions Montgomery. Both games are set to start at 4:30 p.m.