PHOTO PROVIDED Bucktail’s Eva Sockman celebrates wtih her mom during a game last year. The Bucks will look to win a three-peat district title this spring.

FARWELL — Back in the spring of 2021, Mike Poorman’s Bucktail softball squad saw its chance at a district title three-peat thwarted by Millville in the first round of postseason, one year removed from a lost season that arguably stung more due to untapped potential. But although it missed its chance then, it wouldn’t be long before it received another.

Just four years later, the Bucks head into the 2025 season as two-time defending District 4 Class A champions, a product of a talented cast and the winning culture built by Poorman. One title win away from a three-peat once again, there’s reason to believe the prospect could go either way.

On one hand, it can’t be understated how tough last year’s departures were.

After a storied time together as four-year starters, Penn College pitcher Makenzie Wagner and Alexis Lowery graduated alongside another impactful 2024 class member in Gianna Balchun, leaving behind large holes for the team to fill. The most glaring hole comes at the mound.

From her freshman to senior season, Wagner was a force like no other at pitcher, posting a career ERA of 2.21 while falling seven strikeouts short of 300 and issuing just 112 walks. She was equally impactful from the plate as well, batting .578 in 277 career at-bats and logging 162 RBIs, 27 doubles and 13 homers.

So, even with just three key departures, there’s a clear reason why this season is considered a rebuilding one. Coupled with the continued challenges the Mid-Penn conference and Class A field bring, the loss of a player of that caliber is bound to bring a period of adjustment, especially considering Bucktail’s size.

But just because Poorman and his players acknowledge that fact, doesn’t mean they’re shifting the goal posts when it comes to setting goals.

“Our goal every year is to try to win a district championship, so you just hope to see improvement from the first game to the last and see where we’re at (in the end),” said Poorman. “It’s a rebuilding year for us, so (we’re) just trying to put the right foot forward and continue to build.”

In addressing its biggest hurdle at starting pitcher, the Bucktail coaching staff is putting its trust in first-year Carrie Ditty. Despite her inexperience, they like what they’ve seen from the freshman and have high hopes that Ditty has what it takes to carry the load from the mound, with junior Eva Sockman serving as an effective, proven closer. Junior Makenna Stone also saw time in the circle last season but has yet to pitch for the Bucks through the current campaign.

“She works extremely hard on her craft,” said Poorman on Ditty. “She’s been working for a couple of years now and has come a long way since even her last year in junior high.”

“She’s a great freshman coming up. She’s very determined, works very hard, keeps us going,” emphasized Sockman.

On the other hand, the Bucks maintain a considerable number of key contributors from the previous two title runs, including one senior in Matti Mason and a tremendously deep junior class, headlined by two all-state players in Sockman and Lola English.

From the plate, Sockman (.545) and English (.519) each batted above .500 in just their second seasons with the team, with Sockman leading the team in batting average and English leading it in runs with 40. They also accumulated 58 RBIs, 13 doubles and 8 home runs.

Outside of the pair, Stone, Kendall Wagner, Angel Kmetz and Hayleigh Dent round out an exceptional group of juniors. Stone can do it all, with Poorman believing she’s warranted all-state attention in years past. Wagner led the team in doubles last season with ten, batting above .450 with 26 RBIs. And Kmetz and Dent are developing quickly, along with underclassmen such as sophomore Riley Salizzoni and freshman Rebekah Conway.

“Makenna Stone has worked extremely hard to get to that point. Kendall Wagner is a multi-sport, athletic stud and Matti Mason, our senior leadership here, she’s coming in with a great attitude and helping those girls out as well,” said Poorman on his returning cast.

“Hayleigh Dent is one of the hardest working kids on this team coming from last year to this year,” mentioned Sockman on Dent. “So, she’s improved tremendously.”

While there’s bound to be growing pains due to its departures and inexperience at the mound, this is a talented, battle-tested group that sports high expectations in itself. Whether or not it can pull off the coveted three-peat remains to be seen, but it’s certainly within the cards given its track record and returning cast.

“We definitely want to work towards another district championship, but I just think we need to continue to work hard, keep our mind on the prize and just continue to work with each other,” said Sockman. “It’s a rebuilding year, and we’ve just got to keep each other up.” “The girls are having a good time. They’re constantly praising the girls that are just starting out and helping them out at practice, and that core’s just continuing to work,” said Poorman. “Like I said, the big thing for us is to just grow, improve in every game and hopefully when the end of the year comes, we’re in the conversation for that district championship.”