Arguably, it is the best time of year. Spring break is coming up, prom is right around the corner, and the school year is nearly over. Best of all, the spring sports season is upon us. So that means it is time for softball season.
This year, the Lady Kings have eight returning seniors. Some of whom the Kings’ Courier had the opportunity to talk to about the upcoming season. Senior catcher and shortstop, Ava Hubner, has been a four-year starter for the Lady Kings and contributed in many ways to lead the team to victories. Even during a losing game, Hubner continues to give her one hundred percent effort. Hubner said she hopes to contribute to the team this year by serving as a team leader and a teammate whom others can ask questions of. She plans to be a leader by correcting people when they do something wrong and cheering on her teammates when needed. Hubner stated, “I don’t really know what to expect about this season because it is full of seniors and freshmen, so I do not know how we will all mix and how the positions will go.” She said that this year she hopes to go further in the tournament rather than lose the first game of sectionals. Overall, Ava looks forward to having a successful senior season.
The next senior interviewed was outfielder and second baseman Allyson Berry. Berry has been paying all her life and has been on varsity for three years. Allyson’s mom is also an assistant coach. Berry said, “It has been fun having my mom be my coach for all of high school softball, but it has also had its hardships, like getting mad at her when she makes us do conditioning.” Berry said that since it is her senior year, she expects to have a fun time with her friends on the team, and she also hopes for a successful season, since we have eight returning seniors who have all had starting experience. This season, Allyson has also set goals for herself: to be more positive and to get more playing time. The goals she has set for the team are to have a winning season and to reduce drama and laziness on the field. She believes that if everyone takes this season seriously, we could make a long run in the tournament because we have all the pieces we need.
Co-head coach Rusty Logan said the team’s biggest strength heading into this season is its experience. He continued with, “We have the potential to have four 4-year starters playing this season. We have also added two freshmen with pitching experience. There are never enough pitchers for a softball team, as it is a specialty that takes a lot of practice and desire to be good at it.” Three teams that stand out to coach Logan on this year’s schedule include Logansport, Rochester, and Kokomo. Logansport is a standout team this year because we start the season with a scrimmage against them and end it with a doubleheader. Coach Logan then stated, “The standout point in that game is that we may be facing Brooklyn Haggerty, who is a junior University of Texas Longhorns commit. Texas is the reigning Women’s College World Series champion.” He thinks Rochester is a standout game because they are the reigning conference and sectional champs, and last season, the Lady Kings played them very well but just fell short of a victory. With several returners, Rochester could be a contender for a conference championship. The last team that stands out to him is Kokomo, because this year the team will travel there to play on their multimillion-dollar field. Logan stated that it is a facility like no other facility we will play on. He said, “It looks like a small college facility, and it should be a neat experience for the team, especially those who have not played on a facility like that before.” Going forward, Coach Logan said he is excited for the season, with eight returning seniors and several underclassmen with varsity experience. Finishing off, Logan stated, “This should be a great season for us this season, as we had several one and two-run losses last year that I believe we can turn into wins this season.” Looks like Coach Logan is optimistic about the team this season.
Overall, the Lady Kings’ softball season starts with a scrimmage at Logansport on March 19, at 6 pm, and the first official game is April 6, at Caston. Good luck on the upcoming season, Lady Kings.
