(by Don Meador, Sports Information Director)
Softball at the James E. Bazzell Middle School level continues to prepare future high school players---not only in developing skills but also helping players learn to compete at high levels against the most committed competition. In late September, the Bazzell Lady Patriots completed their 2022 season with a runner-up finish at the prestigious middle school state tournament.
In Kentucky, middle school softball is played in the fall. The players can take advantage of the warmer weather to face off on the diamonds. For many players, it’s a cumulating activity after months of summer travel ball. Teams play under the guidelines established through the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. However, unlike high school athletics, the KHSAA does not organize post season tournaments crowning district and regional champions.
Several years ago, middle school coaches in western Kentucky took it upon their shoulders to cap their seasons with a tournament labeled as the “state tournament.” Any middle school team can participate but generally, the field includes feeder schools to the state top high school teams----teams like South Warren, Marshall County, McCracken County, Allen County-Scottsville, and the list goes on. The two day event is seen as a preview of what can be expected at the varsity level in years to come.
For years, the Bazzell Middle School has participated in the showcase event. This year was no different as the Bazzell Lady Patriots traveled to Hopkinsville September 23-24 to face off against the best. Last year, AC-S brought home a third-place trophy. This year, the team improved to the runner-up.
“It was a great year for our middle school,” second-year coach Jeff Rippy said. “We were not number two in the state but we played well in the state tournament. When you do that, things work out.”
Rippy noted that a few teams that are more talented skipped the Hopkinsville event. For example, Daviess County is generally considered the best middle school squad across Kentucky but then team skips weekend events. Still, the Bazzell accomplishment was huge as the tournament still featured very, very good teams and given the youthfulness on his team.
“We have definitely three eighth graders that you can be excited about in Brooklyn Oliver, Kensley Byrn, and Peyton Hopkins,” Rippy added. “They were our leaders this year. The trio brought the experience back from last year. BO (Brooklyn Oliver) and Payton started on last year’s team. KB played a lot. The leader they gave and the understanding of how the season is long and it’s kind of of grueling with having to do school work, and practice and games. They were leaders in softball but they showed the others about how to be at a game but still getting homework done in the dugout while a game is going on. That’s a big deal at that age.”
The team’s strength was their pitching. Oliver and Byrn led the way with a unique combination that kept opposing hitters guessing.
“KB (Byrn) also brought the element of pitching alongside BO (Oliver),” Rippy would explain. “KB and BO was the perfect mix for us at pitching. KB doesn’t throw nearly as hard as BO so when you mix the two it affects the other team. If you start BO and they (opponents) speed up for her and then bring in KB, they have to slow down for her speed. It was like the perfect storm with those two.”
The team could hit but by season’s end, the Lady Patriot pitching was the team’s strong point.
“The last week of the season we beat Logan County 1-0 after winning 15-0 earlier,” Rippy noted. “Teams do get better but we should have won more than 1-0. We beat South 5-1 and Drakes Creek 6-5. So I’m thinking we just can’t hit the ball now. We can’t score. We will get beat but, what do I know.”
The Lady Patriots opened play at the state with a one-run win over Livingston Central.
“They should have won,” Rippy said. “Their sixth-grade pitcher is pretty good. She had a no-hitter on us till the bottom of the fifth (the last inning in middle school softball). We were down 2-0 but ended up with three hits and three runs and won. It was kind of unbelievable. But, that kind came from us talking all year about never giving up, never quitting. We had talked about always giving ourselves a chance. We did that and won a game we should have lost.”
Next up was on Saturday morning against Warren East---a game in which the Lady Patriots won rather handily 9-1. Then Bazzell advanced to the third round of the tournament and an encounter at 12:30 against Meade County.
“That time of rest was a big deal,” Rippy added. “Against Meade County, KB threw a no-hitter that I didn’t even realize until someone told me after the game. She threw really well which got the team to the winner’s bracket championship and gave the squad another long break to rest (until 5:00).”
Marshall County edged JEBMS 1-0.
“We should have won,” Rippy pointed out. “It wasn’t a physical error but we had a kid that stayed back and let a ball drop. That led to a runner scoring the only run. We also had six base running mistakes, four popped-up bunts. We just didn’t do little things that would have allowed us to score.”
The loss in the double-elimination tournament dropped the Lady Patriots into the losers bracket and a rematch against Meade County. This time, Byrn and Oliver combined to hold the Green Wave scoreless. Two runs in the first inning were all JEBMS needed to win again and back into a championship game against Marshall County.
“I knew at that point we were tired and worn out,” Rippy said. “It was 9:30 and we had been out there all day. Marshall ended up winning 7-1. I was still thrilled by that time that we had made it to the championship.”
The experience from the state tournament, a competitive season, and the season, in general, will help the team next year.
“We started five eighth graders, two seventh graders, and two sixth graders,” Rippy said. “Our middle school will have kids coming back with experience and who have experienced a lot of success. We will have to find a dominant pitcher. Our standard will be to expect to win.”
The entire roster includes eighth graders Oliver, Byrn, Hopkins, Autumn Keith, Jacie McCord, Taylor Uhles, Addison Ramsey, and Ava Calvert. Seventh graders are McKenna Law, Kyndell Clark, Lillian Gregory, and Ashlyn Alred. Sixth graders were Audrey Bonds, Kinlee Sikes, Bailey Gaines, Aubrey Shelton, and Maddie Strain.
Rippy was quick to note that a big factor in the middle school’s success this season was the experience and support he had by his side in the dugout and on the field.
“I had at my disposal all our high school varsity coaches,” Rippy noted. “Brad (Bonds) was at every game, assistant coach Nip (Rice) was at almost every game and first-year assistant Ryley Whitney was at every game. They were always coaching, talking with the kids about what they did right and wrong, and helping out by doing little things behind the scene. That was the biggest reason we got to where we did. Having the assistants help me to focus on who we play, had we seen them, and what do they have.”
Several of the middle school players will return to the varsity program in the spring while others will be working to find a spot on the varsity and JV roster. With the exception of the sixth graders on the roster, all can try out for varsity positions in the spring.