(by Don Meador, October 10, 2021)
When the 2021 softball season for the James E. Bazzell Middle School Lady Patriots concluded on September 28, the young Lady Patriots were celebrating an outstanding 30-8 season. The squad not only won the middle school district tournament with wins over Glasgow and Monroe County but also placed third in the state middle school tournament---an event featuring many of the top feeder programs for tradition-rich high school programs across the Commonwealth.
The season in itself was a great year for the 17 young players in the middle school program---Jacie McCord, Kaitlyn Duncan, Kyndell Clark, Emma Emberton, Hadley Borders, Addison Ausbrooks, McKenna Law, Claire Clay, Payton Hopkins, Kensley Byrn, Addison Law, Macy Melton, Katie Scott, Ashley Shrum, Addison Dinkens, Brooklyn Oliver, and Addison Wheat. However, the team’s development and growth may very well impact the Lady Patriot program behind 2021. Only time will tell the rest of the story but, what is certain, a solid foundation for the high school program to build upon has been established.
For the athletes on the middle school team, fall softball not only caps a summer of ball but also puts into place the foundation of what’s to come at the high school level. Last spring, varsity coach Brad Bonds--who had previously served as head coach at Barren County and Allen County-Scottsville---was asked to resurrect a struggling high school program. Bonds accepted the challenge, knowing that putting in place a very strong feeder program at the Bazzell Middle School would be essential for future success
Bonds asked Jeff Rippy to come aboard at the varsity level, thus giving AC-S not one, but two, former high school coaches. Rippy had previously been head coach at Monroe County before coming to AC-S. Bonds and Rippy also had worked together for years in basketball. Together, the tandem helped AC-S varsity softball to a turnaround 21-13-2 season with a roster that included several middle school seventh and eighth graders.
Over the summer, middle school coach Kelsi Pardue---also an assistant at the varsity level---stepped aside to pursue additional educational opportunities. The action opened the door for Rippy to seek the middle school coaching role---a move that would assure the continued continuity between the programs.
Rippy went to work to help the younger players develop their skills and form a mindset for success.
“As much as you can as a coach, you want them to expect to win,” Rippy said. “You want the players to have the mindset that we always win regardless of the level. Of course, we work hard on fundamentals, communication, footwork, and things like that. You want every player to improve so you try and give them the tools they need to improve.”
Talent wise, the Bazzell Lady Patriots are blessed with multiple players who have developed their skill sets through the local leagues, travel ball, and summer teams. Whereas, at each level, different coaches and styles shaped the players. For the school program, Rippy’s task was to keep in place and build upon the foundation of success and enhance the overall state of the girls fast pitch program at AC-SH.
“Regardless if you are trying to start a program, rebuild, or just make it yours, it takes baby steps,” Rippy said. “Brad and I have worked closely together to tie the middle school and the high school into a complete program.”
Looking back, Rippy notes his main goal this season was for his players to improve from practice-to-practice and game-to-game.
“So when you ask if we achieved our goals, I would say time will tell,” Rippy explained. “When we started the season, there was not a district tournament set so being district champions was not a thought. Finishing third in the state wasn’t a goal. It’s always about playing better game to game. We didn’t always play better game to game but at the end of the season, we were playing our best softball. Overall, I would say we met the majority of our goals.”
The coach does feel as if one mental goal was met---the goal of developing within the team a mindset that playing against and winning against the state's best programs and players is possible.
“I think the biggest thing that comes from this season is that the players know they can compete with the best programs in the state,” Rippy said. “Five of our eight losses came to the top two teams in the state. In three of those games we had a chance to win. So these girls know they are as good as anyone. That confidence and expectation of competing and winning at the highest level will always be with them.”
Accomplishing that objective began with the team not afraid to play against the best---the best in the region through head-to-head matchups and the top middle school (and by extension) high school teams through weekend tournament play. Hence, a strong schedule was a must.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Kelsi Pardue for most of the schedule,” Rippy noted. “She had the majority of it laid out for me. I had a few tournaments and regular season games. When you start looking at our schedule, I would say you start with Barren County. They are our biggest competitor in the district. Then you move to South Warren, Warren East, and Drakes Creek (Greenwood) and Logan County. Those are the best programs in the region right now. We were fortunate to play McCracken County and Owensboro Catholic in the South Warren tournament. We went to Christian County and played McCracken County, Henderson County, and Marshall County. These events helped get us ready for state. Playing multiple games against quality competition really got us ready for what we would see later.”
The capstone event would be the middle school state tournament. The annual event is hosted by Marshall County officials. While the tournament is not based on qualification and advancement at lower levels, it is considered a state event because any middle school team in the Commonwealth can participate. Typically, the state’s top softball programs jump at the chance to test their skills against the highest quality of competition.
“There were 18 teams in the double elimination state tournament,” Rippy explained. “Of the 18, there were at least 12 I felt could finish in the top five..”
The Friday night-Saturday tournament started for Bazzell with a game against Trigg County.
“The scouting report was that they were very solid and had a good pitcher,” Rippy stated. “I kept telling the team that we would have to be focused and we were. To jumped on them with four runs in the first and cruised to a 6-0 win. The talk in the park after the game was how well we hit the ball. Addie Ausbrooks got the win. It was the first time all season that the entire team was all into the game.”
The second game pitted JEBMS against Graves County, another very solid team with a hard-throwing pitcher.
“Brooklyn Oliver went to the mound for us and threw a gem of a game,” Rippy acknowledged. “When all was said and done we had a 4-0 win. That put us into the semifinals of the winners bracket against McCracken County. There were now six teams left in the field, four from the 4th region.”
McCracken County defeated the Lady Patriots in the semifinals, dropping the team into the tournament;s losers bracket. The loss also left the young team with the knowledge that---going forward---meant playing and winning multiple back-to-back games.
“We managed to beat Warren East in a lack-luster game 3-2,” Rippy said. “It was not a good performance but it was a win.”
Up next would be Owensboro Catholic in the team’s third conductive game. The game and outcome would speak volumes as to the character of this team.
“We got off to a slow start and got down 3-0 going into the bottom of the third,” Rippy recalled. “Then, my starting pitcher, Addie Ausbrooks, tells me she is not sure how long she could pitch. I thought we might have reached our limit but we plated eight runs and took control of the game. Ausbrooks finished the game and we had a 10-7 victory. It was one of the guttest performances on the mound that I have ever been a part of.”
The win moved the Lady Patriots into the finals of the losers bracket where South Warren waited.
“We hung with South for a couple of innings but it was our fourth game in a row,” Rippy said. . South was more rested. It was just too much for us to overcome. We finished the tournament with four quality wins and our two losses were to the teams that finished one and two. I’m so proud of the girls. As a coach to watch us scratch and claw to win close games against some of the state’s best was the culmination of a very good team reaching its potential. That is all you can ask.”
The season ended the following Monday and Tuesday. District officials were able to organize a District tournament, Bazzell defeated Glasgow and Barren County to earn district champion honors.
Attention now turns to the high school level. Many of the middle school’s players will try out and earn a spot on AC-S’s roster in the spring. Coupled with what coach Bonds has returning at the high school level, the Lady Patriots are expected to start spring ball as one of the favorites in Region 4.
“The biggest difference between middle school and high school is the mental game,” Rippy noted. “At the high school level you need to stay focused on the task at hand. Every at bat is a big at bat and every ball hit at you is a big play in the course of the game. You can get away with some mistakes at the middle school level but in high school, it’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Rippy was assisted at the middle school level by coaches Nip Rice and Katie Young with coach Bonds also lending his expertise as time permitted.