Newport seeks consistency in pitcher’s circle
The biggest hurdle Newport faced last year was not being consistent at the pitching position. “We don’t have that dominate pitcher and overpower anybody with speed,” coach Jon Bradley said. “But we have to be able to get the ball over the plate. We try to play good defense, but we can’t defend a walk. “Last year, we had a lot of walks — things that we tried to work on. We are just trying to be consistent so we can make plays in the field. “We just weren’t consistent enough at it to do it.” Splitting time in the circle are junior Jade Plummer, sophomore Amber Cockrell and senior Emily Lucas. “Jade has more experience than the rest of them, and she may throw a little harder,” Bradley said. “Amber pitched some last year, but she doesn’t throw very hard. “But she is the most accurate over the plate.” Lucas didn’t pitch at all last year but wanted to try out for the spot. “She is left-handed, so it gives us a little different look,” Bradley said. “She has a really fast motion, and if she is able to throw it consistent over the plate, then she could be a really good weapon for us.” Newport, which finished 8-14 last season, lost three of its top five hitters to graduation, so Bradley said the team is trying to recoup from that. He is excited for the future, though. “We are really young; we have more sophomores than anything,” Bradley said. “We have a couple of juniors, four or five freshmen, but they are not quite ready to play yet. “It is looking up. It is a matter of getting there. Last year, we were focused on fundamentals and trying to change everything on them. It was difficult. “It has been an adjustment period just because of that.” Newport has four seniors on the team this year, but only Emiley Lucas starts. “She could play anywhere in the outfield,” Bradley said. “She has actually even played in the infield. “She is the best outfielder by far.” Bradley said sophomore Madalyn Smith, who also plays volleyball and basketball and cheers, is a good athlete, but softball is “probably her best sport.” “She started at third base last year as a freshman and made two or three errors the whole season,” Bradley said. “She is one of our better hitters, was the fourth-best hitter. “We are expecting her to have a good year. She has a good strong arm. She is fundamentally sound and has a good-looking swing at the plate. “We are going to rely on her to do a few things for us.” Bradley said he wants Newport to be aggressive on the basepath to generate runs. “We have to force the issue,” he said. Bradley said the 3A-2 Conference, which includes defending state champion Rose Bud and runner-up Bald Knob, is one of the toughest in the state. “This is a really good league for fastpitch,” Bradley said. “We have state champs that have come from this league, maybe back five years. “And it seems like everyone from this league has a dominate pitcher. It is a tough league.” Bradley said he wants Newport to be competitive in every game. “We are trying to get the style of play that I like,” he said. “I’m big on all-time hustle, and we play small ball a lot. “We don’t have a lot of power hitters, so that’s one of the things that we will try to do. “We want to try to get better each game.”