(by Don Meador)
The Allen County-Scottsville Patriot softball team starts the season with several question marks following an off-season of unexpected developments. Yet, hopes remain high as Coach Brad Bonds will ask his suddenly young team to adopt a next-player-up mentality.
“We have been dealt a lot of adversity already this season, but our young ladies have challenged themselves and are committed to making the best of the situation,” noted Bonds. “Our goals are to continue to put ourselves in position to compete for a district and regional championship along with competing with some of the very best teams in the state. The expectations are that we will hold each other accountable to our commitment and be excellent at what we do in order to achieve the goals we have set out for ourselves.”
Bonds references adversity, which has come in a rash of injuries. As the season starts, Jacie Rice (shoulder), Dani Eaton (knee), Addy Law (leg), Kinsley Byrn (wrist) and K.J. Scott (shoulder) are sidelined. Rice is out for the season, Eaton is expected to be out for the season while the time table for Law, Byrn, and Scott to return is unclear.
The circle will be an area of concern with the primary focus being depth in the position. Brooklyn Oliver is first up however, next in line remains a question mark given that Byrn and Scott were expected to see time throwing the ball.
“Initially the pitching circle is a concern for us as we need to be focused on being consistent along with developing depth,” Bonds noted. “Brooklyn Oliver is our only returning pitcher with experience and we will look for her to shoulder a vast majority of our work, however, we will need some of our other young and inexperienced arms to develop as the year goes on. Katie Jo Scott was the only other player with any varsity experience. We were seeing some major growth and development with her and are very excited about what she offers us. Now, she has an injury.”
The defense behind the pitcher is solid with several players expected to step up and continue to develop.
“The returning experienced players that will be asked to anchor our defense are Brooklyn Oliver (P, Utility), Ally Anderson (2nd, OF), Shiloh Knievel (C, 3B, Utility), Haiden Brown (1B, 3B) and Payton Hopkins (3B, SS),” Bonds added. “New or inexperienced players that could be asked to fill in and provide opportunities initially are Maddie Gray (C,3B) Breanna Eaton (OF) Addison Wheat (OF) as well as some other middle school players that have made some great progress during our workouts and practices. Offensively, all of our players will be asked to move runners strategically to create opportunities to score whether by base stealing, bunting, hitting behind runners and providing as many quality at bats as possible.”
Perhaps the easiest answer Bonds had in the interview was the question, “talk about your seniors.” The short answer was “none.” Yes, the Lady Patriots will not have a senior on the squad. However, eight juniors will be asked to assume leadership roles. Juniors are Anderson, Aubrey Williams, Brenna Eaton, Dani Eaton, Brown, Rice, and Allie Smith, and Knievel.
Bonds urges the community to come out and watch as his young team battles to overcome their adversities. The veteran coach still believes that this year’s squad has strong potential to compete for a Distract and Regional championship.
“These young ladies are great student athletes that work hard each and every day to sharpen their craft,” Bonds added. “They provide lots of energy and have become really close the last few months as a team in the hopes of achieving their goals. We have had lots of changes and injuries that will create different looks this year, however, we are all excited about our progress and want to prove that we can still compete.”
AC-S---as is the norm for the softball team---will play a strong schedule with the focus on getting better in each game. The regular season includes regional play with strong programs such as South Warren, Greenwood, and Logan County. Tournaments in Bath County, Gallatin Tennessee, and Bowling Green will test the squad yet build the group for a strong District tournament. Barren County, Glasgow, and Warren East are expected to be strong again this season. Eyes are already looking ahead to the District tournament, which is scheduled for Late May at Lady Patriot Field.
AC-S’s home games start at 5:30 unless otherwise noted.