a different coach, [is great]. I think the willingness and the drive to be a sponge, to soak it all in – the growth mindset of ‘We can do this. We have a bunch of talent, let’s conquer this and have some fun,’ – I think they’re doing very well with all of that.”
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our lineup,” she said. “We still have some holes to fill defensively … but I think we’ve got a good core coming back, with Lauren Taylor, Sydney Guess and Logan Hawker leading the way along with Jessie Gentry.” The Confederates will call upon Savanah Henley, a sophomore, to helm the pitching staff. Last year, Henley compiled a 5-0 record with a 1.087 ERA, 74 strikeouts and 19 walks. “We’re hoping that Savanah will be able to step in this year and have some of the success that Kayley [Scott] had last year,” Davis said. Davis is looking forward to not having to face St. George. “I think [Atlee] is going to be going through a little bit of rebuilding this year,” Atlee said. “They have two kids that I know of that will be pitching for them. They’re a great program. They’ve obviously had great success, so it’s still going to be a rivalry. It’s just that we won’t be facing Peyton St. George every time we go there.” Patrick Henry While the Patriots lost one of their highest-impact players, Grayson Radcliffe, to graduation last year, Radcliffe was the only starting senior they lost. This year’s Patrick Henry team is full of experienced players who have proven they can handle varsity pressure – even among teams from higher classifications than most of their Class 4 competitors. “We should be [loaded], yeah,” said first-year head coach Lance LeStourgeon, who is no stranger to the Patriots’ program, having served as assistant coach under his predecessor, Walter Pettus, and junior varsity coach under Pettus’ predecessor, Shelby Webb. LeStourgeon and his team have set a high standard for as we always do, for Patrick classmen this year, which is and six juniors on the team this themselves this season. Henry softball,” LeStourgeon kind of a first for us the last year, so the experience is there “We have high expectations, said “We have a lot of upper- few years. We’ve got six seniors for sure.”
Hanover The Hawks are in severe rebuilding mode: They have just three seniors – Lauren Hughes, Kayley Turner and Jenna Ways – on the roster. Instead, they have a bumper crop of freshmen and sophomores: seven of the former and five of the latter. Their main hope is that the less experienced players grow up quickly enough to make some kind of showing in the Region 4B tournament at the end of the season. Teams like Patrick Henry, also in Region 4B, will make it difficult for the Hawks to advance far into the postseason. Dave Lawrence/The Local
Above, Patrick Henry’s Jamie Hughes (8) reacts after a ball that would have scored her was ruled a foul in the Patriots scrimmage with visiting Manchester Thursday. Patrick Henry boasts of a strong lineup that lost only one senior to graduation last year. Mark Gormus/Times-Dispatch
Left, Lee-Davis shortstop Lauren Taylor (6), shown here in the Conference 11 tournament against Deep Run last year, is one of a solid group of returning Confederates hoping for a return trip to the Class 5 state championship game.
Charlotte Mitchell, a junior, returns to anchor the Patriots’ pitching rotation with junior Olivia Swell and freshman Riley Dull helping out. What LeStourgeon likes best about his team is its attitude. “For the seniors, this is their third coach in four years,” he said “The openness and willingness to learn, to try different things that they haven’t done in the past, a different process with
King William The Cavaliers struggled with youth last year, but that should not be a problem this year, with only one senior lost to graduation. Even so, the experienced players coming back are still fairly young, with only a handful of seniors among the returning starting seven. “We’re upperclassmenheavy this year. Finally,” said King William head coach Elizabeth Welshonce. “Pretty much eight of our nine starters will be a junior or senior this year. It will be really nice, actually, to have some experience on the field.” The handful of seniors will carry a lot of the leadership weight for the team. Pitcher Jenna Evans, third baseman Hailey Baldwin and Allison McGehee are all committed to playing for Division III colleges next year, and are hoping to finish their high school careers on a successful note, as is senior center fielder Hailey Reed.
The Mechanicsville Local
March 14, 2018
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