Lady Spartans well-armed for repeat run
By Marq Mitcham, Bastrop Daily Enterprise
Since winning the MAIS Class 2A state championship last season, the Prairie View Lady Spartans’ fastpitch team has undergone a makeover.
Principal Ed Bain, who guided the Lady Spartans to a 22-3 record and the school’s first-ever fastpitch state title, has turned the coaching duties over to his assistant, Dan Smart.
On the field, the Lady Spartans have only one player in the same position, although it would be difficult to overstate her value. Senior pitcher Kayla Tyson (20-1), last year’s state MVP, allowed just 16 runs in 21 games last season and was untouchable down the stretch. She also contributed at the plate, batting .263.
Prairie View enters the season minus three fixtures as catcher Mallory Hall, third baseman Caroline Oliphant and shortstop Kara Burchfield were all five-year starters. Also lost to graduation were starting first baseman Lena Kate Thompson and reserve outfielder Laiken Russell. In addition, junior Molly Gregory, who was projected to make the move from center field to catcher, suffered a season-ending knee injury during a summer basketball camp. She is scheduled to have surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ACL.
The Lady Spartans opened the season Friday in the Riverfield round robin tournament, picking up wins against Riverdale and Riverfield and falling to Tensas in a game in which most of the starters sat out.
In all, the Lady Spartans return four starters, although all except Tyson have changed positions since last season.
Kristen Oliphant (.300) has moved from second base to catcher, while Leslie Spires (.340) and Victoria Billings (.321) have shifted from the outfield to shortstop and third base, respectively. Oliphant and Spires are also Tyson’s backups in the circle.
The remainder of the infield has Blake Stutts at first base and Bastrop High transfer Stormee Sebren at second.
Stutts, a senior who only came out for softball this season, has been a pleasant surprise.
“Blake was in one of my Civics classes and I asked if anyone would like to come out for softball,” Smart recalled. “Blake said, ‘I’d love to play softball.’ I hit her some ground balls one day and coach (Larry) Taylor and I looked at each other like, oh my God.”
An all-new outfield has Taylor Gentry in center field with Amanda Jones and Kirstin Swain flip-flopping between left and right.
Although he has had to tinker with the lineup, Smart believes he may have already found the right combination.
“We’ve had to move a lot of people around,” Smart said. “The way we’re jelling, this may be (the lineup) for a while.”
Smart is pleasantly surprised by the Lady Spartans’ progress.
“We’re a little further along than I expected us to be at this time,” Smart said. “A lot of times when you have a team coming off of a state championship, everybody wants to live in the past. They want it to be like last year. But every year brings changes.
“We already have good team chemistry. Usually, you don’t see that on a team that hasn’t been together very long. The girls were having fun in the Riverfield tournament. That’s 90 percent of it — if you relax and have fun, you’re going to play a lot better.”
Prairie View is back in action Thursday at 6 p.m. vs. Franklin Academy in Winnsboro.
By Marq Mitcham, Bastrop Daily Enterprise
Since winning the MAIS Class 2A state championship last season, the Prairie View Lady Spartans’ fastpitch team has undergone a makeover.
Principal Ed Bain, who guided the Lady Spartans to a 22-3 record and the school’s first-ever fastpitch state title, has turned the coaching duties over to his assistant, Dan Smart.
On the field, the Lady Spartans have only one player in the same position, although it would be difficult to overstate her value. Senior pitcher Kayla Tyson (20-1), last year’s state MVP, allowed just 16 runs in 21 games last season and was untouchable down the stretch. She also contributed at the plate, batting .263.
Prairie View enters the season minus three fixtures as catcher Mallory Hall, third baseman Caroline Oliphant and shortstop Kara Burchfield were all five-year starters. Also lost to graduation were starting first baseman Lena Kate Thompson and reserve outfielder Laiken Russell. In addition, junior Molly Gregory, who was projected to make the move from center field to catcher, suffered a season-ending knee injury during a summer basketball camp. She is scheduled to have surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ACL.
The Lady Spartans opened the season Friday in the Riverfield round robin tournament, picking up wins against Riverdale and Riverfield and falling to Tensas in a game in which most of the starters sat out.
In all, the Lady Spartans return four starters, although all except Tyson have changed positions since last season.
Kristen Oliphant (.300) has moved from second base to catcher, while Leslie Spires (.340) and Victoria Billings (.321) have shifted from the outfield to shortstop and third base, respectively. Oliphant and Spires are also Tyson’s backups in the circle.
The remainder of the infield has Blake Stutts at first base and Bastrop High transfer Stormee Sebren at second.
Stutts, a senior who only came out for softball this season, has been a pleasant surprise.
“Blake was in one of my Civics classes and I asked if anyone would like to come out for softball,” Smart recalled. “Blake said, ‘I’d love to play softball.’ I hit her some ground balls one day and coach (Larry) Taylor and I looked at each other like, oh my God.”
An all-new outfield has Taylor Gentry in center field with Amanda Jones and Kirstin Swain flip-flopping between left and right.
Although he has had to tinker with the lineup, Smart believes he may have already found the right combination.
“We’ve had to move a lot of people around,” Smart said. “The way we’re jelling, this may be (the lineup) for a while.”
Smart is pleasantly surprised by the Lady Spartans’ progress.
“We’re a little further along than I expected us to be at this time,” Smart said. “A lot of times when you have a team coming off of a state championship, everybody wants to live in the past. They want it to be like last year. But every year brings changes.
“We already have good team chemistry. Usually, you don’t see that on a team that hasn’t been together very long. The girls were having fun in the Riverfield tournament. That’s 90 percent of it — if you relax and have fun, you’re going to play a lot better.”
Prairie View is back in action Thursday at 6 p.m. vs. Franklin Academy in Winnsboro.
