Familiarity played a huge role in Iola High graduates Keanan Badders and Ashlie Shields’ decisions to continue their playing careers by staying local and play for Allen Community College.
Badders will join Clint Stoy’s baseball program, while Shields will be reunited with former youth coach Jaime Jensen and play for the Red Devil softball team.
“I had the opportunity to coach her on a 12-and-under team when she was on it a long time ago,” Jensen said. “I had the opportunity to coach her then and I saw her talent.
“Now that she is a recruitable age, I decided to go after her. She has speed and that is definitely going to help us on the bases.”
According to Shields, her relationship with Jensen was a major factor in her choosing Allen, but she also liked the idea of continuing to play in front of familiar faces.
“It is my hometown so I’ve always wanted to play at Allen,” Shields said.
Shields was the starting catcher for the Fillies this past season, but Jensen is excited to explore her new recruit’s versatility, and says she has been impressed with what she has seen so far.
“Defensively she can play just about anywhere,” Jensen said. “We are looking at her in the middle infield and also catcher.”
Shields hit .323 this season for Iola this season and had nine extra base hits. Jensen is confident that she can help Shields improve her offensive production in the next couple years.
One of only two seniors on the 2016 Fillies, Shields embraced the leadership role that a starting catcher must possess.
“That leadership is definitely a quality that is good to have and I think she will transition well and once she gets comfortable, I think she will be just as vocal for us,” Jensen said.
BADDERS also was attracted to the idea of being able to spend his first two years of college in Iola.
“It is in our town and they don’t have many local kids out there,” Badders said.
For Stoy, Badders represents another player who exemplifies the culture that Stoy is using to attempt to build his program.
“I like Keanan because of who he is as a person and he embodies who we are as a program,” Stoy said. “He is a good kid who makes good grades and is also a very good athlete.”
An example of that attitude that Stoy loves to see came as a result of a low point in Badders’ high school career at Iola.
