Lisa Dey knows when the district tournament is. She knows where it's going to be played and she knows the teams that will be in it.
But the Jefferson City softball coach isn't worried about any of that right now.
"It's down the road," Dey said. "We just need to stay focused and take it one game at a time. I think if we play the way we're capable of playing, we have the potential to do some good things this season."
The Lady Jays will start their journey at 6:30 p.m. today when they host Lebanon in the season opener.
Unlike previous years, it might not be the last time Jefferson City and the Lady Jackets see each other this season.
The Lady Jays are moving to District 10, where they will compete against Camdenton, Lebanon, Waynesville, Willard and Springfield Central when postseason play begins in October.
"I think it's a situation where you don't go into districts thinking you're going to walk right through, and you don't go into any district having already given up," Dey said. "Anything can happen on any given day. We've all seen it."
Jefferson City went 18-5 last season before falling to Hickman in a Class 4 District 9 semifinal game. After knocking off the No. 2 Lady Jays, Hickman, the No. 3 seed, advanced all the way to the state quarterfinals.
"I thought last year went pretty well," Dey said. "I think we beat some teams that we were predicted not to beat."
Jefferson City graduated three seniors in Dakota Newton, Allyson Metz and Riley Hayes - all playing at the college level.
Newton (Columbia College) hit .338 and drove in 21 runs, while Metz (Columbia College) hit .368 with 19 RBI and five home runs. Hayes (Southeast Missouri State) hit .397 and drove in 15 runs to help lead the offensive attack for the Lady Jays, who hit 17 homers and batted .340 as a team in 2013.
"We have some big holes to fill," Dey said. "Obviously they wouldn't be going to be playing college ball if they weren't good ball players."
Still, Dey is optimistic about her team this season.
"The kids have been stepping up and have been doing a good job in practice," she said. "I have the confidence that they'll do a great job."
The Lady Jays return six everyday starters from last year, including senior catcher Brooke Rozier, who led the team in batting average (.425), RBI (28) and home runs (8).
Senior pitcher Krista Brickley is also back after going 16-4 with a 1.31 ERA and recording 41 strikeouts in 1272/3 innings last year. Alyssa Schulte, a junior, will also be part of the rotation after seeing limited action due to an injury in 2013.
"I like the option now of not having to rely so much on Krista," Dey said. "They're both going to do a good job for us."
When not pitching, Brickley and Schulte will split time in left field, while returning starter Kaitlyn Tambke will patrol centerfield after hitting .316 with five RBI as a sophomore.
Junior Emily Williams and sophomore Ashton Glass will compete for playing time in right field for the Lady Jays.
On the infield, Taylor Dey will return at second base after hitting .342 with 18 RBI as a sophomore, while senior third baseman Darby Brundage is back after hitting .345 with 17 RBI.
Junior Hannah Hirschvogel will play first base and freshman Alexis Gilliland will get the nod at shortstop for Jefferson City.
"I think it's going to be kind of a learning experience," Lisa Dey said. "Anytime you put a freshman on the field in a varsity (game) there's a learning curve there."
It shouldn't take Jefferson City too long to get in the flow of things. The Lady Jays will play Wednesday at Rock Bridge, before hosting St. Elizabeth on Thursday and Troy on Friday.
"We'll go game-by-game," Dey said. "We have the last part of August and all of September to hopefully be peaking at the right time."