EDWARDSVILLE --- Makenzie Rayfield, who was a junior for the Alton High School softball team, had a good season for a young Redbird team, and was often the rock for the team when things got difficult.
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For the season, Rayfield was 5-17 in the circle, allowing 156 runs, 99 earned, on 166 hits in 101.1 innings pitched, having an ERA of 6.84, walking 52 and striking out 86. She also hit .203, with no homers and six RBIs.
Rayfield is an Auto Butler Female Athlete of the Month.
The Redbirds hung in and both worked and played hard all season, which ended with a 7-22 record, and in a postgame interview, felt good about her team's efforts in the game.
"I'm feeling pretty good," Rayfield said. "I think we did good as a team altogether, and I think we worked hard to keep them where we kept them, for the most part."
Although the Redbirds' season wasn't the best, the team persevered and grew as a team all season.
"I feel like we had a lot of freshmen coming into the varsity season early," Rayfield said, "and I think that we were able to grow and expand our team as a whole, compared to the beginning of the season, and I'm very proud of all of us."
Rayfield is very optimistic about Alton's future in softball.
"I think next year, we will be much better," Rayfield said, "and I think we'll continue to grow, We're planting the seeds to grow for next year and I'm excited."
Rayfield definitely likes her team's chances for 2026 and beyond.
"I think we have chances to grow and be better than we were this season, especially," Rayfield said, "and I'm very excited for the future."
Rayfield thought she played well during the season, making adjustments and helping the team when needed.
"I think I did pretty good for myself," Rayfield said. "I think I was able to adjust to our new team very well, and I think I loved the season."
Many of the Redbirds players will be playing on clubs this summer, which can only help Alton in the long run.
"I'm not personally in summer ball," Rayfield said, "but I know a lot of the girls on the team are. So they're going to be growing. I can't wait to see what the future holds."
