With over two weeks of the regular season remaining for North White’s varsity softball team, the growth and improvement in one calendar year has been on full display throughout their 2025 campaign. For head coach Cory Applegate, the mentality and aggressive nature of Vikings softball have been at the forefront of his team finding success early on.

“We’re more aggressive on the base paths, taking more chances,” Applegate said. “We’ve talked to the girls more about taking chances and not being afraid to make mistakes. We want to be able to rebound and step up and make the next play. The last few years, I think we struggled to do that and we kind of let one mistake compound and lead to further mistakes. This year, they’ve done a great job of resetting and preparing for the next pitch.”

Applegate also noted that in year two of his tenure as the varsity head coach, familiarity amongst his roster in several capacities has played a large part in their success.

“The athletes are just starting to settle into their roles, they understand what’s expected of them as far as aggressiveness, expecting the ball, hunting strikes in the batter’s box, and being great teammates that pick each other up. It all contributes to the wins that we’re seeing,” he said.

Sitting at 6-8 overall with a 2-1 record in the Midwest Conference, they’ve already tied last season’s win total and after winning three of their last five, show no signs of slowing down.

Their recent run of W’s comes thanks in part to their bats after averaging 10 runs per victory this season while being led by Melanie Crawford, Kaylyn Applegate, and Raelynn Anliker, all of which bat .439 or better.

“In all reality, even in the losses we’ve had, we’ve outhit a lot of the teams that have beat us or we’ve been right there with them on hits. I think a lot of it is just the mental approach they’ve taken this year. … Last year, we looked like we were getting surprised with a strike three or looking for walks while this year, they step in the box and are looking to do damage,” Applegate said.

In the circle, North White has primarily relied on the arms of Anliker and Applegate while Emma Jacobsma has seen action as well.

But while their bats may get the headlines, Applegate notes that their defense and poise in the circle is every bit as improved as their offense.

“We’ve limited our walks for the most part and we’ve had a few innings here and there where we haven’t commanded the zone as much as we’d like but I think as a whole, we’re limiting free bases. Our defense has really stepped up and played solid behind our pitchers which helps them relax and become a little more aggressive toward opposing hitters,” he said.

North White hosts Pioneer on May 12 followed by Faith Christian on May 13.