By FRANK CASH

Herald-Whig Sports Writer

Vic Schroeder claims he can teach just about anyone to bunt.

So it's no surprise that bunting may be the focal point of Missouri's offensive attack in Sunday's Senior Softball Salute, which starts at 5 p.m. at Harry Phillips Field in Quincy. 

"Anyone can bunt," said Schroeder, who as a first-year head coach led Canton to a 20-8 record and a third-place finish in last fall's Class 1 state tournament. "Plus, it's been seven or eight months since some of these girls have picked up a bat. We've got pitching and defense. I just want to make sure we have the offense."

Schroeder shouldn't have to worry much. Although his team will boost a couple of quality arms in Kachina Hudson of Mark Twain and Jillian Yoder of North Shelby, its offense shouldn't struggle much.

For starters, there's Macy Bross, one of the top hitters in Palmyra's march to a third straight class 2 state championship. Also, Britni Bertelli of Clark County and Ashlan Knoche of Highland were both solid offensive threats for their teams. After playing for him last fall, Kara Uhlmeyer said Schroeder knows what he's talking about.

"He's a pretty good coach," said Uhlmeyer, a second baseman. "He's easy to get along with. We'll be in good shape."

A look at the Illinois roster shows that its nucleus is made of five Liberty players who led their team to a 27-7 record this spring to go with their second sectional title in
history.

"That makes getting to play in this kind of a bonus," Liberty right fielder Amanda Bower said. "Getting to play all together again is neat and being able to play for our head coach (Steve Buyck). And then having our old coach (Michelle Quinn) back makes it really neat too."

Buyck just finished his first season as head coach after assisting Quinn in 2008. He's looking forward to coaching some of the best players in the area.

"It's really special to have my five players out there but then to put them with all those other great players," Buyck said. "It's going to be neat to see how everyone comes together. It's going to be neat to see how their personalities mesh."

The contrasting playing seasons of Missouri in the fall and Illinois in the spring has made the Senior Salute a drawing card the previous five years. The result has been four doubleheader splits, with Missouri recording the only sweep in 2006.

"You go into this not really knowing much about what Missouri is all about," Quincy Notre Dame second baseman Gabrielle Douglas said. "You see some things on the highlights but that doesn't give you everything you need to know. That doesn't really matter though. You just want to go out and win."

-- sports@whig.com/221-3365