Lady Badgers work for another run at state
The Beebe Lady Badgers made a late run in the season to advance to the second round of the Class 5A State Tournament in 2017. Beebe finished 19-13 overall and 7-5 in the blended 5A/6A Conference. However, the Lady Badgers got on a roll, winning the 5A East Conference Tournament, earning a top seed in the state tournament. Once there, they beat Camden Fairview 9-7 before falling to Vilonia 6-1. Beebe returns five starters, including sophomores Abby Burch, Hannah Gammill, Lexy Lockhart and Molly Poe; and junior Elizabeth Shellenbarger. Tenth-year Beebe coach Eric Chambers said junior Lexi Devore will be a returning starter but will miss the 2018 season with an injury. Chambers said his team’s best hitter for average and power is Gammill, who hit .484 as a freshman with 11 home runs and a 1.022 slugging percentage. The team’s best fielders are Shellenbarger on the infield, Gammill at catcher and Poe in the outfield, Chambers said. The team’s best speed belongs to sophomore
Ahleynn Hanna, the coach said, and the best arm on the team belongs to Gammill; the best pitcher is Burch. Chambers said he has several games to watch this season, including a doubleheader with Vilonia on March 27 and a single game at Cabot on April 5. “We have one of the toughest regularseason schedules that we have ever had in my 10 years at Beebe,” Chambers said. “We hope that it will prepare us to repeat as 5A East Conference champions, which will lead us into the state tournament. “We have a very young team but very talented. I’m looking forward to a good year.” Chambers said his squad is loaded with players who have college potential. They are led by Gammill, who has already committed to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The returning starters, including Burch, Shellenbarger, Lockhart and Poe, have a chance to play at the collegiate level, Chambers said. He also said Hanna and junior Shanie Young could play at the next level. “We have a lot of talented freshmen who will be in the mix to play on the college level,” Chambers said.