Oakwood softball ready for big step in third season
The Oakwood Christian Lady Eagles have yet to play a softball game this season, but have already found themselves locked in a battle with a relentless opponent — Mother Nature.
“One of the big keys (to this season) will be if we can get it to stop raining,” head coach Charme Ray said, only halfjoking. “With all the rain, we haven’t had much time to get on the field and figure out who’s going to play where.”
However, locking down positions won’t be too critical of a task for Ray and her staff this season as the third year of OCA high school fastpitch will feature a roster of multisport athletes. And although the roster will still be somewhat low in numbers, it more than makes up for it in versatility.
“All of these girls are athletes, so trying to place the best mix on the field has been a challenge this year, though its a nice challenge to have,” Ray added. “We have several players that are all good at several positions. Right now, we’re doing some jostling around the infield to see who’s the most comfortable at certain places.
“But I can also take those same girls and stick them in the outfield and they can make the catches and run and make plays just as well. With all of our versatility, we have a bunch of girls that can pretty much play the whole field.”
Throw in some newly-added depth in the circle and behind the plate and the Navy-andgold will be enjoying some increased expectations in the program’s third season.
“(The program) has grown tremendously,” the coach continued. “I’ve gone from brand new players to players that are seasoned with some that have played early on in their lives, like T-ball and those type of things. We’ve grown in ability and now we have several (players) on our roster that have been with us since the beginning.
“It’s grown in that respect and the interest for the softball program here at Oakwood has grown as well.”
Leading the way for the 2020 Lady Eagles, as she was during volleyball and basketball season, will be Lexie Asher, once again the lone senior on the team. Asher will play first base and do some catching, while also providing invaluable leadership to the club.
“Lexie is a girl you want on your team,” Ray explained. “She’s a leader on and off the field. She’s a leader spiritually. She’s a leader academically. She’s a leader as far as encouraging the girls in all facets. She just does a great job and she was that way last year as a junior too. I look forward to her stepping into that role even more this year.
“Skill-wise, she’s another one of those that you can put at different positions. She’ll get after it and she’ll do it without complaint. She’s a ‘100 percent’ kind of girl and she does it with a smile. She really does enjoy it and the other girls really follow her lead, attitude-wise.”
The junior class is the largest group on this year’s roster. Grayson Broadrick will hold down centerfield, while Raleigh Suits will likely play at third base, though she could also play a middle infield spot. Like Asher, Lily Green will split time first base and catcher. Gracie Heard will also play first base, while Callie Ray is transitioning to an outfield spot this season.
A solid sophomore class includes middle infielders Avery Green and Mckenley Baggett, who could both be called on to play at third base, if needed. Maggie Heard will be the team’s No. 1 pitcher once again and Anslee Tucker will be a utility player on this year’s team. This is Tucker’s first year with the Lady Eagles, though she has previous softball experience.
Freshman Caroline Tindell will also see innings in the circle, while first baseman Alex Haynes, an eighth grader, will round out the roster. Terry Burns and Andy Heard will assist Ray as bench coaches.
Ray said that in addition to her team’s versatility, its character is also a strength.
“They’re just a good bunch of girls,” she said. “They’re fun and they are hard-working.”
She added that the other big key to the season would be to take care of the little things.
“You look back at last year and there were just a few things here and there that were the difference between us winning and losing ball games,” she added. “We just have to execute correctly, make sure we’re doing the little things right and we just have stay in (the games) mentally.”
Oakwood Christian was slated to begin its season on Monday of this week at the Howard School in Chattanooga. They will once again play their home games this season at Rossville City Park.