Lake Hamilton softball looks intimidating in 5A South
PEARCY — After going 1214 and losing in the first round of the playoffs to Marion last season, the Lady Wolves are back and ready to swing for the fences.
Lake Hamilton lost their season opener to Malvern 12-7 Monday and then the flood gates opened when Lake Hamilton beat Pine Bluff in a double header Tuesday 20-2 and 15-1.
Head coach Amy Teague has led the Wolf Pack for 20 years.
“We only lost two from last year,” Teague said. “Emma Landrum and Kaylin Kauffman. Kaylin is now playing at Henderson State. Everybody else is returning with the addition of five very talented freshmen. We are looking forward to a great season.”
The Lady Wolves’ pitching staff includes seniors Maddie Duke and Ann Marie Tice, and freshman Reese Lackey.
“I have two seniors,” Teague said. “Duke has pretty much pitched every pitch for us the last two seasons. Lackey has pitched the last two games for us and has done well.”
The Lady Wolves worked on power hitting in the offseason to bring more balance to their offense.
“We do a combination of contact and power hitting,” Teague said. “This fall we worked on more power hitting so we could add that aspect. I have had some kids really come along. I have got a variety throughout the lineup. In certain places we will have more base hitting, contact swingers and we have added power hitting swingers with some younger players. That has helped make us more versatile.”
Duke is a four-year starting pitcher for the Lady Wolves who batted .394 last season. She plans to attend Central Arkansas to study physical therapy.
“Duke can hit with power and for contact,” Teague said. “When Duke is not pitching she brings speed to the outfield. You cannot say enough about her. She is just a gritty kid who is going to push through and get things done. Over the course of the year, she has done volleyball, cheer and softball.”
Through three games in the season, Duke had a perfect batting average.
“My senior season makes me nervous, sad and excited to play with this group of girls this year,” Duke said. “I put in a lot of practice time outside of actual school practice. The past two years I have pitched almost every game.”
Tice is attending Ouachita Baptist to play volleyball and bats second. Tice had a .379 on base percentage last season.
“Tice is a base hitter,” Teague said. “She is just a hard worker and just another gritty kid who is going to get the job done.”
Tice also plays third and can pitch.
“I am very excited to go to Ouachita Baptist,” Tice said. “My senior season is sad but also exciting. This will be my last year playing softball ever.
Softball is very relaxed, and I am going to miss that aspect.”
Paris Macon is a senior outfielder for the Lady Wolves. She is a dual sport athlete who played basketball, too. Her teammates described her as the team’s “hype man.”
“Paris is just coming out of
basketball,” Teague said. “We are really looking forward to her coming along. She is going to help us with some outfield play. She adds a little more depth to our lineup.”
Macon had a .333 batting average last season.
“I am super excited; I am ready to be outside,” Macon said. “My favorite thing about softball is the atmosphere and getting to be crazy. I am the one that gets everyone hyped. I yell a lot. I do not know if I will do sports or band in college. I play alto saxophone. I am working on consistency with the bat.”
Tice said she loves the environment surrounding the softball team.
“In the locker room they all play hype music,” Tice said. “I am not the one to dance and stuff. I like to watch them dance, and it makes me laugh.”
Macon plans to walkout to “The Purge” music to intimidate pitchers.
“I am looking forward to winning state this year,” Macon joked. “We are going for that. I play outfield. I have not robbed anybody of a home run yet. I am going to miss the atmosphere, the people and getting to hype them up.”
Playing second base is senior Gretchen Reynolds. Reynolds plans to attend National Park College.
“Gretchen provides a solid second base for us,” Teague said. “She has been very dedicated and put in a lot of hard work. She has really improved over the course of four years.”
Reynolds played in 11 games last season and had an OBP of .500 with five RBIs.
“My bat is getting better,” Reynolds said. “I am still working on a few things. We did offseason practice, and I played at Kimery Park as well. I like to think I am quieter than all the others, but when the game is going on I am a lot louder. Everybody is hilarious in the dugout and the locker room. My coach has made me better by helping me work on things even when I do not really want to. She is all around a good coach.”
Senior Kelsie Bynum has outfield duty and batted 1.000 through the first three games of the season. She is going to attend Southern Arkansas University for business.
“Kelsie has played some outfield for us,” Teague said. “She adds a little bit of speed and short game to our lineup.”
Teague said Bynum is a good cheerleader in the dugout.
“I am good at catching and getting out there and running,” Bynum said. “I have not robbed someone of a home run yet. This season it is coming. My favorite thing is my teammates. We all get along, and it is just wonderful to have an environment around me. My bat is good when I am not getting walked. As a lefty I get walked a lot.”
Freshman lefty pitcher Lackey is not inexperienced. She competes with the Top Gun travel team. She is ranked No. 85 nationally as a pitching/infield duo player and ranked No. 163 overall in the class of 2026.
“Reese’s bat looks very good,” Teague said. “Monday night she went 4-for-5 and had four RBIs. She is a power hitter. Reese is a very talented athlete. Whenever you look at her swing it is what you try to get kids’ swings to look like over the course of their careers. She has come in at a very good level.”
Lackey was invited to camp at the University of Arkansas in January.
“She is working into pitching,” Teague said. “I am allowing her to throw three innings right now, and she is progressing with that. Right now, her hitting is on point. She can hit it into the baseball field. She has spent a lot of time on her skills and fundamentals.”
Through three games, Lackey had a 1.50 ERA and three strikeouts.
“My favorite thing is being around my teammates,” Duke said. “We get into a line whenever we are going to be called out, and we will all just scream at each other. It is a scare tactic.”
The Lady Wolves are no stranger to getting hyped.
“Maddie gets the speaker, and we will jam it out,” Bynum said. “We are all enjoying the good times.”