Northeast
Sports
Softball enters 2014 with different look
Fans packing the stands at Booneville City Park to catch a glimpse of the Northeast Mississippi Community College softball team should expect to see a different look this season. The 2014 edition of the Tigers will not be over dominating at any certain position or spot in the batting order. Instead, an overall balance in the lineup and at key spots on the diamond is the story for head coach Jody Long. For example, last year National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American Andrea Cutts stood out at the plate with a .414 batting average and Eckerd (Fla.) College signee Erin Dixson found a home on the rubber and threw 144 innings. More than likely that will not be the case this year. Followers of Northeast should look no further than in the circle for proof, where Long says multiple changes per contest could happen due to depth. “We’ve got five or six kids working on the mound that you could very easily see each game,” he said. “It’s going to be very strategic when we make changes and who moves where. It’s going to take our kids buying into it and being committed.” Team captain Bianca Chagolla returns to lead the pitching effort. She was the Tigers’ No. 2 arm as a freshman behind Dixson with 102 innings pitched. The Riverside, Calif., native recorded a 2.81 earned run average (ERA) in 21 outings. Chagolla held a 10-6 record with nine complete games, 91 strikeouts and just 70 hits allowed the entire season. She also established herself at the plate during the 2013 campaign with a .374 batting average. Chagolla had five home runs, 19 extra base hits and 29 runs batted in (RBI) with just six strikeouts the entire year. Chagolla was one of two Tigers selected to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State team in 2013, joining a current Delta State University standout in Cutts. “Bianca has an opportunity to be one of the elite ladies that has played here,” Long said. “She put up great stats as a freshman and has great softball sense. She’s one of those kids that will do whatever it takes to be successful.” Past Chagolla, the rest of the Northeast pitching rotation will feature new faces. Sophomore Erica Clifton of Walnut has good movement with her pitches while redshirt athlete Trenisha King of Colbert Heights (Ala.) High School sports an entirely new look in her form. Chelsea Buntin impressed in the fall and could be a key part in Long’s plans. The Alcorn Central High School product held Freed-Hardeman University, which finished 2013 ranked No. 17 in the NAIA and made a trip to the National Tournament after winning the TranSouth Athletic Conference championship, to just two runs in first semester exhibition action. “She has a chance to be really good as a left-handed pitcher in this league,” Long said. “She’s a late bloomer that’s still maturing and growing. The weight room has
helped her and she’s bought in to what I’ve told her.” Tiger catchers will have to adapt quickly if the ninthyear head coach decides to pull pitchers at a faster rate depending on certain situations that arise mid-game. Two newcomers that could see time behind the plate are Haley Christian (Corinth) and Yasmeen Cooper (Houston). “Both of them are still trying to learn the system and that we anticipate our catcher to run everything and kind of be the general on the field,” said Long. “They’ve done a decent job, but both have a lot to learn before we hit conference play.” Northeast returns experience and perhaps the best speed it ever has in the strong history of the program in the outfield, led by Fulton’s Mirah Terry and Walnut’s Becky Robinson. Terry is more of a slapper at the plate while Robinson brings a heavy stick when she steps into the batters box. The duo was used in a courtesy runner role as well last season and combined to steal 16 bases and score 18 runs. “Mirah is the type of kid that when she gets the ball on the ground, she’s got the opportunity to be safe,” Long said. “Becky is a very strong kid that has the potential of hitting the ball out of the park every swing.” The veteran headman has been quite impressed with South Panola High School’s Marla Rudd, who could fit right in as the leadoff hitter and centerfielder for the Tigers as a freshman. Haleigh Moffett, who joins Chagolla as a team captain, is the leader of the infield at third base. Hailing from softball powerhouse West Lauderdale High School, Moffett had a solid opening campaign in Booneville with a .319 batting average and .378 on-base percentage. She participated in all 39 outings for Northeast in 2013 and hit five home runs with 24 RBIs. Moffett struck out just nine times in 113 plate appearances. The sophomore from Bailey had a .954 fielding percentage last year and was named to the MACJC AllNorth Division second team. When not pitching, Chagolla will showcase her strong arm at shortstop to complete an experienced left side of the infield. A number of ladies have the chance to pencil themselves into the starting lineup with a good set of practices building up to the 2014 lid lifter on Wednesday, February 12 on the opposite side of the dirt. Included in that mix at second base is Shannon Goode (New Albany), Avery Springer (Houston) and Cooper. Pine Grove product Lacy Blakney, plus Springer and King, could vie for time at first base. One woman in particular that caught Long’s attention and could develop into a pivotal leadership role is Sydney Martin of Central Catholic (Ohio) High School. “She is probably one of the best motivators we have whether she’s on the bench or on the field,” he said. “She brought a lot to us this fall other than just softball.
I was able to see the ways that that helped our team.” Booneville’s own Bre Agnew and Audrey Goss, who comes from Red Bay (Ala.) High School, could see parts as courtesy and pinch runners while Abigail Rish out of East Webster High School is a steady bat that can come off the bench. Overall, the 18-player roster features just four returning sophomores that aim to step up and carry Northeast to its fourth straight appearance in the MACJC playoffs and improve upon 2013’s 23-15-1 record. Long has the more options this year in the batting order than in the past with multiple lefties at his disposal, including Blakney, Goss, Rish and Rudd. While that does present more flexibility when it comes to facing right- or left-handed pitching, Long feels the offensive philosophy of the Tigers must change slightly this year. “We’re going to have to manufacture more runs,” he said. “We’re not going to be a team that hits 40 home runs like we have in the past. We’re going to have to play one base at a time.” With a much younger and inexperienced group than in past campaigns, Long hopes to simplify the team objectives and keep his ladies focused on the present instead of the past. “Our goal ultimately has to be to give 100 percent one pitch at a time,” said Long. “It is very important that you’re not thinking about the previous pitch or what I’m going to do next. We do drills and some mental training to try to help them prepare to have concentration and focus on the current pitch. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” Northeast’s athletes have also gained from the knowledge of two new assistant coaches for the 2014 season in Jaisa Emerson and Haylei Plummer. Emerson is no stranger to the Tiger program after playing for Long from 2011-12 and serving as a volunteer assistant in 2013. She was a NJCAA All-Region 23 selection and the MACJC North Division’s Most Valuable Player as a sophomore. Plummer is a graduate of Blue Mountain College and appeared in 94 contests over a two-year span after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Like Emerson, Plummer was the MACJC North Division’s MVP during her sophomore season with the Rangers. “They’ve been a huge, huge impact,” Long said. “The pitchers, catchers and position players having somebody that strictly works with them. Me having somebody that I can discuss hitting flaws and this and that. It has made a tremendous impact. “All in all, it’s been a God sent blessing to have those two young women that love what they do to be here to help us do whatever it takes to be successful. Emerson will call pitches and work directly with the battery while Plummer will be the third-base coach on offense where Long can better communicate with hitters as they head to bat.
Northeast Mississippi Community College
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