If things progress as normal, the Jefferson City Lady Jays figure to be right in the mix when the golf postseason rolls around.
"If we continue to improve like we historically do, we should be," Lady Jays coach Randy Bickel said as Jefferson City prepares to open the season today at the Warrensburg Invitational. "We're showing a lot of drive to get better. We're on track.
"We're going to fairly good, it just depends on how well some of the newcomers develop."
The Lady Jays will be led by a pair of seniors.
Blair Michael returns after advancing to the Class 2 sectionals last year, while Ellie Severance is back as a varsity player.
"They've worked hard and provided excellent leadership for this team," Bickel said. "They played in a lot of tournaments, they put in a lot of practice, they put in the effort. Blair knows what it's like to get close to the state tournament and she's hungry to get there.
"We don't worry about ball-striking with those two, we're past that. Now we're working on the mental side of the game."
Samantha Swinford, a freshman, currently holds down the No. 3 spot.
"She's a competitor," Bickel said. "She has impressed me."
Swinford, who also is a competitive swimmer, is relatively new to the game. Bickel said she got into the game by taking lessons this summer.
"She decided to be a serious golfer and has worked hard toward that," he said. "She knows what it takes to be a competitive athlete and she's got the look in her eye."
The final two varsity spots, filled today by senior Claire Shipley and sophomore Christia Kiesling, will likely be up for grabs much of the season.
"Four through 10, we don't know," Bickel said.
The Lady Jays have three freshmen and three sophomores on the roster. The new blood came ready to play.
"They've taken a lot of lessons over the summer and put the work in to get ready," Bickel said. "Unfortunately, I had some returners who did not play or practice this summer.
"So they are going to have to work twice as hard to catch up to where they should be."
But since practice began earlier this month, everyone has been working hard to improve.
"I can't complain about the effort they've given since we started practice," Bickel said.
Bickel said the Lady Jays have been striking the ball well.
"We're made a lot of improvements," he said. "Now it's a matter of getting the ball into the hole, so we're working a lot on our putting."
There are no changes to the schedule, only that the season seems to be shorter than usual, Bickel said.
"Practice time is going to be at a premium," he said. "The players are going to need to practice on their own and practice with a purpose."
The Lady Jays will play their home events at Meadow Lake Acres Country Club, starting with a scheduled dual Monday against the California Lady Pintos.