Teams ready to battle for victories, achieve goals
Calhoun enters season hungry after State runner-up finish; Sonoraville aims to take another step forward; GC ready to show improvement
The start of the school year means that Fall Sports have arrived, and softball will begin in full force within the next couple weeks.
The three local teams took to their fields last week to begin preseason practice and each will play their scrimmages and regular-season openers in the next week. Calhoun, Sonoraville and Gordon Central all head into the season with hopes of achieving their biggest goals.
The Lady Jackets are in a little bit of an unfamiliar place as the season begins, coming off a State runner-up finish in 2016. They fell just short of winning the state title last Fall which followed three straight years of being the last team standing so they will have plenty of motivation and hunger as they begin their quest to try to get back to Columbus once again and finish the job as state champs. They will be replacing a talented group of seniors from last year’s team, but Coach Diane Smith’s bunch always seems to have really good players coming up through the pipeline.
The Lady Phoenix continued their strong run over the last few years with a fourthstraight trip to the State tournament last Fall. They lost only two seniors from the 2016 squad so there is plenty of talent and experience coming back to try and help Coach Chad Hayes’ team get past the first round and look to make a run to Columbus like they did in 2015.
The Lady Warriors had a tough end to the 2016 season, but many of the returning players have lots of experience after being forced into action early in their freshmen and sophomore years. Coach Maddie Burns’ team competed in many of their games last season but were the victim of one or two bad innings that turned things around in the opposing teams’ favor. They will work hard to achieve complete performances and finish out games strong this season.
With the season opening in the next several days, the Calhoun Times takes a look at each of the three local teams with info and thoughts from each coach. Here’s all that you need to get ready for first pitch:
Head Coach:
season)
Last Year’s Record:
39-3 ( Won Region 6-AAA title, finished as Class AAA State runner-up)
Torri Gaddis (P, Sr.), Maddie Bumgardner (1B, Sr.), Kayla Watson (P, Sr.), Carlie Henderson (OF, Soph.), Erin Barnes (OF, Soph.)
Key Players: CALHOUN
Diane Smith (32nd
Coach Questions: CT:
After falling just short of a state title last season and finishing as state runner-up, how much motivation has that provided for yourself and the girls and how ready is the team to get back on the field and get that bad taste out of its mouth?
We (coaches and players) are excited about getting back in the groove. After winning three straight state championships, our finishing in second place last year was disappointing. The team that beat us in the first game of the Elite Eight in Columbus was no match for us later in the tournament when we eliminated them in a run-ruled game. Our girls are ready to get back to the task at hand and head back to the top.
SMITH: CT:
You have both of your top pitchers back from last year’s team and some young pitchers that appear ready to contribute as well. How excited are you about the pitching depth your team has and how important is that going to be to your team’s success this season?
We will lean heavily on Torri and Kayla, the two outstanding pitchers from last season’s team. At the same time, we recognize we have quality talent in our underclass pitchers; Blair Hall, Molly Walker, Lona Sims and Elizabeth Peyton pitched the JV team to an undefeated season last year. In addition, we have an outstanding pitcher, freshman Maggie McBrayer, who led Calhoun Middle to
SMITH:
three region championship over the last three years.
CT:
Your team has some big holes to fill in the lineup offensively after losing a very talented senior class. How confident are you that this year’s lineup can put up the same kind of offensive numbers and who are a few players that you believe are ready for a big year at the plate?
Losing a group of six outstanding players does leave a hole to fill. That is the nature of any high school athletic team. As to the ‘same kind of offensive numbers’ is a question we will have to work hard to resemble. At the same time, I believe in the players on the 2017 roster. They have displayed talent along their athletic journey to this point. The three returning starters, Maddie Bumgardner, Carlie Henderson and Erin Barnes all showed great proficiency in the batter’s box last season. That season of going to battle on the big stage should give them great impetus to build on to produce another outstanding season. Also, we will rely on Tori Roper, Alaina Reece, Adella Carver, Audrey Wilbanks, Anna Taylor, Bailee Pullen and Lyndi Rae Davis to give added strength to our offensive attack.
SMITH: CT:
What do you think the biggest strengths are for your team going into the season and what are the biggest areas your team needs to improve in?
SMITH:
We are returning experienced players. By that I mean they have made their appearance and contributed in varsity games and/ or was solid players on the undefeated JV team. They all know what it is like to play under conditions where ‘the ammunition is live.’ Our players need to have confidence, believe in themselves and learn to play a consistent solid game in the field. Eliminating and recovering from mistakes is a prime goal of our coaching staff leading to that consistent and solid performance. Another area demanding attention from the coaching staff and diligent work on the part of players is the improvement all along the season of our younger players. In addition to all those already named we will have on our roster Mattie Jane Mashburn, Hannah Mashburn, Jordan Blair, Haley Wells, Andie Robinson and Emma Long. Our coaching staff of Kayla Ralston and Lisa Drake will add enthusiasm, excitement and energy to our practices and games. Both these young ladies will provide motivation to our group of players.
CT:
What are your overall expectations of the 2017 Lady Jackets and what is the biggest key or keys for your team to achieve those?