Lady Wolverines sport another young team
Slow pitch softball is beginning to dwindle down in the state of Mississippi.
This year, just over 80 teams remain playing the sport as the vast majority of schools in the Mississippi High School Activities Association have switched over to volleyball. For many, softball doesn't carry the same weight that it does in Webster County for East Webster and Eupora.
Coach Lee Berryhill has won a handful of state championships in both slow pitch and fast pitch sports with the Lady Wolverines and as long as slow pitch exists, he'll coach to win more.
“The numbers are going down because a lot of schools are converting from slow pitch to volleyball which is understandable,” Berryhill said. “In volleyball, they can move on from it to the next level, but you can't in slow pitch. Here, we like slow pitch because you get the extra defensive work and it helps your athletes for fast pitch season.”
That's been even more true for Berryhill this season as he puts another young team on the field. The last two or three years have been a bit of a rebuilding job for Berryhill though his team has still been in contention for district championships and making a run in the playoffs.
The team hasn't been in the state championship picture for a few years. Much of that is due to the youth that his teams have possessed as he tries to get veteran leadership to the forefront.
“We've still got a ways to go because we still have so many new faces,” Berryhill said. “We don't have a lot of leadership in upperclassmen. We have one senior, two juniors and maybe two or three sophomores. We're heavy on the younger players so it's going to take some time. We've got to help find a role for them and the older girls have to carry us as well.”
Among some of the leaders for this year is the lone senior Coy Jennings. The East Webster upperclassman has been playing many different roles for Berryhill since her seventh grade season and he'll rely heavily on her influence this year.
The same goes for other players on the team that have been in the moment for several years as they'll have to bring up the younger players both on and off the field.
“Your seniors and juniors know what is expected on a day in and day out basis,” Berryhill said. “They have to help police everybody else because as coach, you're sitting here with 20 kids and you don't see everything that goes on all the time. We're trying to work for a common goal and follow our school code of ethics, too. It's up to those players to help us out and be leaders for the team on and off the field.”
Along with district opponents from Winona, Hamilton and Eupora, The Lady Wolverines will play Neshoba Central, South Pontotoc, Lake and others ahead of conference play. They begin with the Neshoba Classic Jamboree in Philadelphia this weekend where they will play the mighty Lady Rockets as well as Lake who has been competing for state titles of late.
East Webster starts the season on Monday officially against Houlka and plays at Calhoun City on Tuesday.
The first few weeks will be a test for the young Lady Wolverines but nothing that Berryhill will make out to be too much for them in which to pressure themselves.
“Our regular season schedule is going to be against 1-6A,” Berryhill said. “Our non-division schedule will be strong and our division will be strong. It will be a battle throughout the year. Each year we know what our common goals are and it's not much different than all the other schools. You have to work hard to get there.”