Coach: ‘Ready for something different’
For the past five years, the Haskell Harmony Grove Lady Cardinals have made it to the semifinals of the state tournament before being eliminated. “I know most teams would be happy with it, but for me, it is very frustrating,” coach Sammi Massey said. “I’m ready to do something different.” Massey, who has been the head coach for 18 years, said she wasn’t disappointed with how Harmony Grove played against Rose Bud in last year’s semifinal because her team scored nine runs. “Things just didn’t go our way,” Massey said. “I can’t really complain, but this year, I do want us to play together more and finish the season as a team.” The Lady Cardinals return seven starters from last year’s 22-8 team. “I have a great group of girls,” Massey said. “We just need to find a way to finish.” Senior Grace Bryant returns at pitching after finishing with a 17-3 record and an ERA of 1.44. She struck out 185 batters and walked 70. She also gave up 3 home runs. “She’s our pitcher, and she does a great job,” Massey said. “She was also our top hitter. She is pretty good and pretty consistent. “She has good movement. She is not overpowering but definitely has some speed. The movement is what really helps her.” Massey said this offseason, Bryant has been working on developing a couple more pitchers. “She has been working hard on that,” Massey said. Bryant batted .470 last season with 25 RBIs, 7 runs scored, 3 home runs and 10 doubles. Her twin sister, Kinsey, plays catcher for Harmony Grove. Kinsey batted .393 with 28 RBIs. “She was one of the top hitters I had last year, too,” Massey said. “I look for her to do well, too. “[The twins] are very connected, and they have played together for a while, so that always helps.” Grace and Kinsey Bryant have both signed to play college softball at Hendrix College in Conway. Leighton Withers, who batted .411 last season with 30 RBIs and 32 runs scored, has signed to play at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. Harmony Grove had played in two games so far this season, at the time of this interview, defeating White Hall and Lake Hamilton. Massey said even though her team won both games, she wasn’t too happy with their performance against Lake Hamilton. “A lot of them play basketball, so we started off rocky. They just needed to see a live arm,” Massey said. “I’m hoping it was a good experience for us to get better. “Our hitting was definitely the biggest difference between the two games, but we came through when we had to.” Massey said one of the biggest strengths for the Lady Cardinals this year will be its senior leadership. “I need our seniors to lead and do their roles,” she said. “It is a huge advantage to have that many kids. “They have been there and experienced it.” She said it is important for the team to string hits together, especially with people on base. “And a lot of that is figuring out the lineup,” Massey said. “It is not all on them.” Still, the expectation for the Lady Cardinals is to win a state championship. “We play a tough schedule, so every game will be a good game to watch,” Massey said. “But ultimately, we want to have a great year and do the best we can do.”