Lady Wildcats return 7 starters

Seven starters return for Harding Academy’s Lady Wildcats from a squad that finished 16-13 last year, but coach Rusty Garner said he doesn’t like to compare teams. “This team will have its own journey, and we are excited to see where God leads us,” he said. “We look forward to the opportunity to grow our relationships with one another through softball.” The Lady Wildcats’ team strength is experience as they return senior Audrey Laird at catcher, sophomore Rachel Story at third base, junior McKenna Oliver at second, juniors Alden Graves and Mallory Gowen in the outfield, and sophomores Abby Lochala and Caroline Citty as utility players. Laird is a four-year starter; Story started every game as a freshman; Oliver played every game the past two years; Lochala started every game as a freshman at shortstop; and Gowen started every game the past two years. Lochala batted .400 last season, striking out just twice. She is the best hitter for average and for power, the coach said. Garner said she has been drawing interest from Division I and Division II schools since she was in the seventh grade. Behind the plate, Laird is the team’s best fielder. Oliver, Graves and Citty all have good speed, the coach said. A weakness? “Although we’re experienced at many positions, we are inexperienced in a couple of big spots,” Garner said. The Lady Wildcats finished third in the 3A-2 District Tournament last year but lost to Haskell Harmony Grove in the opening round of the Region 2 Tournament, 12-0 — one win shy of reaching the Class 3A State Tournament. This spring, the Lady Wildcats will play in combined conference 3A/4A District 7 with Bald Knob, Cedar Ridge, Heber Springs, Mountain View, Newport, Riverview, Rose Bud, Southside Batesville and Tuckerman. To reach the regional, they’ll have to finish among the top four in the 3A-2, which also includes Bald Knob, Barton, Cedar Ridge, Newport and Tuckerman. Heber Springs reached the Class 4A state quarterfinals last season. Rose Bud beat Bald Knob for the Class 3A state championship. So it’s a tough league. “Our expectations are always the same,” Garner said. “We expect to grow as a team and be playing our best at the end of the season. This should be a fun group to coach that will improve dramatically from March to May.”