SHELBY HICKS: This is Shelby Hicks–

MILEY HARPER: –and Miley Harper–

SHELBY HICKS: –with EagleAir radio.

MILEY HARPER: Thanks for tuning in with us today.

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SHELBY HICKS: Many athlete’s sports career go beyond high school.

MILEY HARPER: Just like your Nixa seniors, who had up to six years with the Nixa softball program.

SHELBY HICKS: They enjoyed the girls’ games and exciting memories they made.

MILEY HARPER: The players had record breaking seasons as well.

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It all starts with T-ball, and leads into a softball career they never knew would take them this far.

SHELBY HICKS: Thanks to softball being half of Phoebe Gardner plus Maddy Meierer career, made an impact on the future they had ahead of them.

STUDENT: What’s your favorite memory in your softball career?

STUDENT: Whenever Sparky cried after we beat Webb City.

STUDENT: My favorite memory is probably my junior season, when we won districts, and got to go to the quarter finals.

SHELBY HICKS: Phoebe Gardner being with the program for six years, created many memories and bonds.

MILEY HARPER: While Maddy Meierer wasn’t there as long. She still had four years career and instantly bonded with the girls after her move to Nixa freshman year.

SHELBY HICKS: The years committed to the program will last them a lifetime.

STUDENT: –going to miss the most about …?

STUDENT: I’m going to miss just being with the group of girls, every single, day after school, and just the whole going after school, every day, practicing, having games during the week, and tournaments over the weekends. It was super fun.

STUDENT: The team, the girls, for sure.

MILEY HARPER: Head coach, Matt Walker, created a strong bond with these girls throughout the years.

MATT WALKER: Memory as their coach. With Phoebe, probably her seventh grade year, she came out and said, coach, I catch and play third base. We did some work in the FEMA gym over there, and after seeing her with her glove, first day we got outside, I kind of took her to the side, and walked her over short and said, this is your new home. She said coach, I don’t play short. And I said, you do now. And that’s where she finished up her career. With Maddy, Maddy’s just kind of a screwball. [CHUCKLING] Great attitude. She steps up to the occasion.

SHELBY HICKS: Maddy, and Phoebe were only two out of five seniors who completed the Nixa softball program.

MILEY HARPER: Matt Walker will miss his seniors, Lauren Loney, Chloe Krans, Maddy Meierer, HJ Simpson, and Phoebe Gardner, and the strengths they brought to the team.

STUDENT: –most next year.

MATT WALKER: With all the seniors, each one kind of has their own thing. Chloe, missing the dinosaurs, and always got to have my eye on her to see what kind of mischief she’s up to. Phoebe is kind of quiet. Maybe the sign that she came up with or the stuffed eagle that she brought around this year.

Maddy just being Maddy. Probably not good for the podcast, so we’ll leave it at that. You two probably know what I’m talking about. Lauren, just her love for the game, her competitive spirit. She may not always have agreed with what we were doing but she always did it. Who am I forgetting there?

HJ. Just her personality over the years coming out more and more. Being a lot like Chloe, by her senior year. You never knew what she was up to, always scheming something. But it was a good group of seniors. They’re going to be missed.

MILEY HARPER: Thank you, Maddy Meierer, Phoebe Gardner and Matt Walker for joining us.

SHELBY HICKS: Thank you for tuning in.

MILEY HARPER: This is Miley Harper–

SHELBY HICKS: –and Shelby Hicks with EagleAir TV, signing off.

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