A justified guarded optimism will be in the air when the Indianola Academy Lady Colonels softball team begins its 2019 season this Friday.
This season’s first test of that optimism will be Heritage Academy of Columbus and the Lady Patriots will be coming to Chism Park for the game’s 6 p.m. first pitch.
For Head Coach Patrick Davis, who is entering his fourth season as the IA softball head coach, there are six returning starters and two seasoned pitchers to help build his team’s foundation.
“I look forward to this season,” noted Coach Davis. “We have a team with a lot of potential. I expect us to be in the mix at the end of the season. My goal is to put these girls into position where they can all be successful. And I hope to be playing well at the end of the season, heading into the playoffs.”
The road bringing softball action quickly becomes very well-traveled by the IA squad as this Saturday will find the squad in a tournament hosted by Winona Christian School.
Starting early Saturday morning, the Lady Colonels take the field at 7:45 a.m. against the host Lady Stars. They will then return to the field at 10:15 a.m. to complete their pool play by taking on Heritage Academy. Subsequent bracket play action is dependent on the early morning outcomes and will bring single elimination the remainder of the day’s tournament.
Next Monday will then take the Lady Colonels to Heritage Academy while next Tuesday brings IA back to Chism Park for a 6 p.m. match-up against Deer Creek School of Arcola.
In retrospect, a successful season was also had by the Lady Colonels last season as they accumulated a 21-12 record while seeing their season end three games into the North AAA State Tournament.
However, this season’s new alignment has the IA squad competing in District 2 AAA where a bevy of all new district opponents are on tap.
Teams competing against the Lady Colonels this fall to claim the district title will be Carroll Academy, Central Holmes Christian School of Lexington, Oak Hill Academy of West Point, and Winona Christian School.
“We don’t know a lot about any of these teams, so we must respect them all and play our best every day,” said Coach Davis.
“We are in the same class as powerhouse softball programs such as Marshall Academy (Holly Springs), Bowling Green (LA), and Tri-County of Benton,” he continued.
As for the players who must make it happen on the field, two of those six returning starters are seniors in the form of Mallory Price and Jillian Roberts; both of whom contributed heavily with the bat in their hands last fall.
While Roberts will bring her experience back to the pitcher’s circle and the infield, Price spent time at first base last season and is being counted on to once again be a mainstay in the infield.
Meanwhile, four juniors earned much playing time last season and are expected to contribute once again this season.
After logging many innings in the pitcher’s circle last fall, Katie Ann Page will also see playing time on the infield dirt this season.
Expected to toil behind the plate and on the infield is Lily Putnam while Mattie Beth Williamson will most likely be once again roaming the outfield; both players also made a significant impact while in the batter’s box during last season’s campaign.
The hope is that last season’s Designated Hitter, Mary Grace Beckham, will again be driving balls around the park this fall.
Other players who saw significant playing time in 2018 and are expected to make their presence known this fall are freshman Leighton Lovelace and junior Anna Grace Rowland.
Aiding Coach Davis in guiding his 20 man roster through the 16 game and three tournament schedule are Clete Putnam and Ricky Page.
A primary concern listed by Coach Davis concerning the loss of four starters is “it will force us to use players at positions that they have never played before. Some younger players will need to step up this season and assume important roles.”
“Depth is a concern as well,” he said, “as we have historically had to deal with injuries during the season.”
On the upside, Coach Davis observed a definitive strength of the team is “We return six starters, including both of our varsity pitchers. And all of these starters have playoff experience.”
