(by Don Meador)
The Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriot softball team takes to the diamond this spring with high expectations for another solid season on the diamond.
AC-S comes into 2026 seeking to continue to grow on the heels of last year’s 26-5 worksheet---one of the best-ever in terms of winning percentage. However, for the first time in over two decades, the Lady Patriots failed to move beyond the District 15 tournament and into the Region 4 tournament. This year’s goal is a return to regional competition. To that end, Coach Brad Bonds is quick to note that his team is working extremely hard to improve their skills to reach that objective.
“These young ladies are working extremely hard at developing their individual skill sets as well as utilizing this time developing field rapport and chemistry with one another,” Bonds said. “We, as a staff, are really excited about how well these young ladies have developed and challenged themselves to be prepared for the upcoming season. The camaraderie and atmosphere has absolutely been the best so far and that is just so exciting as we know that is a true foundational work for future successes.”
AC-S starts the year with a trio of seniors----Addy Law, Katie Jo Scott and Addison Wheat. Law recently signed to play college softball at Brescia in Owensboro.
“Each of these young ladies provide lots of experience and grit for our team as well as each providing their own unique assets for this team to be successful,” Bonds said, adding that his seniors bring multiple attributes to the field.
"Addy Law (SS, OF) brings a lot of energy to our team as she has a grit and willingness that goes unmatched to most,” Bonds said. “We will look to her to provide on the field leadership at the shortstop position all while continuing to be a tough out at the plate doing the gritty work that often goes unnoticed to the untrained eye. She may not be the flashy offensive player but can be very productive offensively while working counts high, laying down the much needed bunt or hitting behind runners situationally.”
“Katie Jo Scott (OF) also brings tons of experience to this team,” Bonds adds. “She can track a ball with the best in the outfield and has a strong arm to go with it. KJ has deceptive speed that can also help offensively, we just need her to continue to work to be consistent in this category but we know that she is willing to do whatever it takes for this team to be successful.”
“Addison Wheat (OF) came on the scene quite a bit last year and her defensive play and we know she can bring that again this year,” Bonds explained. “She has incredible speed on the bases as well as an elite coverage ability when tracking fly balls. She will continue to work offensively to develop her game as it is vital we find ways to get her on the bases to utilize her elite speed.”
The seniors will be supported by a talented group of underclassmen.
“Other key returners are our juniors Kensley Byrn (Utility), Payton Hopkins (3B,1B) and Brooklyn Oliver (P,OF, 1B) as well as sophomore Maddie Gray (C,1B, 3B),” Bonds said. “Each of these players bring tremendous assets to our team and will be challenged to bring on field performance as well as leadership roles to this team. This is an amazingly talented bunch of young ladies that have a lot of experience on the field and we will look to continue to build around their specific offensive and defensive skill sets. They all swing the bat well for average and power and each of them could potentially drive in quite a few runs for us. Outside of those already mentioned, there are a lot of other young ladies that will be tasked and challenged to step into daily roles that will no doubt help this team be successful. Sophomores Kyndell Clark and McKenna Law along with freshmen Audrey Bonds, Kinlee Sikes, Maddie Strain and 8th grader Finley Rice all have some limited varsity experience that will be asked to contribute consistently in some way for this team. Other newcomers to take note of are Ashlyn Alred (So) and Bailey Gaines (9th) as each brings a very unique piece to this team; while other young inexperienced players are knocking on the door for their opportunities.”
Bonds notes that his Lady Patriot team does have a few weaknesses with youthfulness in terms of high school ball being among them. However, Bonds knows that his youngsters have a lot of softball under their belts through summer and fall ball.
“In terms of weaknesses, we will be young and inexperienced in a lot of ways, but this doesn't overly concern me too much as I do have players that have great knowledge and understand the game while having played a lot of softball over the years,” Bonds explained. “The strength of this team without a doubt is our depth and versatility in positions and options to approach the game in multiple different ways. We will maximize each individual player's assets each game to give us the greatest opportunity to win and with that may come a consistent play of 13-16 players. If the game of softball were broken down into three areas then we would have a plethora of players that could contribute above average in one or two areas but maybe not all three. So our staff will be approaching each and every game with a mindset of player combos at a lot of positions to allow our offensive players the opportunity to be productive while allowing our defenders to make plays while also providing the best opportunities on the base paths creating pressure for other teams. This just gives more players a performance piece of the puzzle giving us the greatest opportunity to be successful.”
AC-S competes in a very talented District and Region. That not only presents challenges but also gives opportunities for growth---in terms of facing the high quality competition offered by teams in Region 4.
“Barren County is still probably the favorite in this district, however Warren East will be a very dangerous team with the battery they can provide,” Bonds said. “Glasgow is a team that consistently got better last year with young talent, and in my opinion, will surprise a lot of people this year. This district, just as in the past, is loaded and is as competitive as any in the state as three teams were top 20 at the end of the year last season. In terms of regional play outside of our district, South Warren is the front runner for the region and state with multiple college signees. Greenwood, Franklin-Simpson, Cumberland County, Logan County, Russellville and Bowling Green are teams that could post a lot of wins this year. But there is no doubt that this district can compete with this region as a whole. It will just depend on who is playing their best softball at the end of the year.”
Overall, Bonds and his coaches likes the potential in this year’s squad.
“We are super excited to watch this group grow together and perform,” Bonds stated. “They are such a fun group and they seem to enjoy each other and cheering for each other which is such a huge intangible for successful teams. When players don't count innings, at bats, and just care about each other and the end product then a lot of things can take place and for that we are so excited about what this year can bring to us.”
AC-S starts play this week with Edmonson County on the road Thursday in a 5:30 game. The contest is a 2A match-up with the winner moving forward in the 2A sectional tournament. Friday, the Lady Patriots host Daviess County in a 6 p.m. matchup. AC-S hosts North Oldham Saturday at 11:00.