Inductees

When folks talk about the powerhouse high school softball programs around the Show-Me State, the Marion C. Early Lady Panthers are certainly in the conversation.

And why not? They gave all who saw them play plenty to discuss.

Over a 22-season stretch, the Morrisville school logged an unprecedented string of success spanning the tenures of seven different head coaches. Marion C. Early won a total of 456 games and a pair of Missouri state titles (1988 and 1992), while 10 additional squads made Final Four appearances (1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002 , 2006, 2007 and 2008).

All of which is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Lady Panthers 1987-2008 era as part of the Class of 2022.

What’s more, the Lady Panthers’ success was — and continues to be — a source of pride shared by many in the Polk County town of just under 600. One might even say that Marion C. Early’s lengthy run of dominance was, in fact, a community effort.

“The community of Morrisville was amazing,” former head coach Gary Murphy said. “The school and community support the Panthers and Lady Panthers in incredible fashion. I can still hear the cowbells ringing out when our team made a big play!”

Murphy would know, as the first MCE coach of the era. His foresight, coupled with a heartbreaking loss in the state quarterfinal round the previous year, helped set the stage for the Lady Panthers’ breakthrough season of 1987.

Fueled by their first trip to the quarterfinals in 1986, the Lady Panthers made it all the way to the Class 1-2 title game before falling to Westran. That loss proved to be a springboard to bigger things, however.

“After losing to Westran, we trained hard and that was our focus in ’88 … to get back to state, beat Westran and bring home the championship,” Melissa Bumgarner Hopkins said.

Murphy made sure his talented club never forgot the sting of its loss on the biggest stage.

“Every practice, Coach Murphy would remind us of Westran and how we needed to be ready for them,” Hopkins said. “At the end of practice, when we ran through situation drills, every one of them involved us playing Westran and being behind by one run. So when we reached the Final Four that season and played Westran in the semifinal, we were ready.”

Ready, indeed. The ’88 Lady Panthers dispatched their nemesis in the semifinal round, then clipped New Franklin by a 3-1 score to claim the championship and cap a 20-0 season.

After Murphy moved on, the Lady Panthers barely missed a step, bringing home a third-place finish at the 1990 state tournament under new coach Don Gray.

Next, Jim Horton took the reins and promptly led MCE to four Final Four berths in the span of six seasons. His first club went all the way, winning 23 of 25 games and claiming the 1992 Class 2-3 state championship with a 2-1 victory over Putnam County.

“Our teams were led by strong pitching, outstanding defense and solid hitting,” Horton said. “These teams were fearless and refused to back down from any team on any level.”

Those key Lady Panther hallmarks continued into the new century as well, with head coaches Matt Henenberg (1998), Mike McHolland (1999-2003), Melody Campbell Stewart (2004-07) and Matt Walker (2008) each guiding the program back to the state semifinal round.

In all, Marion C. Early brought home 21 Polk County League titles and 18 district crowns, while failing to reach the state quarterfinals just five times over the 22-year period.

“Sacrifice … that’s what I think of,” Rhonda Entlicher Stewart said. “So many who contributed to building the tradition of Lady Panther softball. A community that was always supportive of the athletic programs. A school administration that knew how important athletics were to the heritage of our school and always provided top notch facilities and coaching staffs. And parents who sacrificed time and money in the offseason to build these programs.”

The one constant? Dedication, according to numerous players who made it possible. That, and the unyielding support of so many throughout the community who were determined to see the program rise to unprecedented heights.

“We had many good role models,” Entlicher Stewart said. “While in the moment, it’s hard to appreciate what you are a part of, but reflecting back on it, one gains perspective of how special it was to be a part of the tradition of excellence of Lady Panther softball.”