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On the Rise: Freshmen infusion sparks Lady Tiger softball
It wasn’t very long ago that the Nevada Lady Tigers softball program was basking in the glow of a state championship.
In 2010 Tammy Holcomb’s squad captured the Missouri Class 3 crown, en route to a 23-5 season.
Last year, however, Nevada concluded the season 9-15 overall, as the program experienced a decrease in student-athletes going out for the team. Now there is reason for optimism, as the Lady Tigers return experience at key positions while adding an influx of new talent.
Seniors Anna Fulton (center field) and Sarah Creasy (shortstop) return at key positions for Nevada. The Lady Tigers roster, however, is lined with underclassmen, with six freshmen and three sophomores comprising more than half of the team.
“With such a young group of kids we have a lot of room for growth, but also a lot of potential,” said Tammy Holcomb, who’s entering her 10th season as the Lady Tigers head coach. “The upperclassmen that we have will provide a lot of experience.”
Other key returnees include sophomores Maggie Leisure and Hailee Lundine. As a freshman last season, Leisure emerged as a top of the rotation arm.
“We were extremely young last year,” said assistant coach Danny Penn. “We had a lot of freshmen and sophomore girls playing at the varsity level. Hopefully, that experience, and the reps they got, will be a huge benefit for us. We’ve added some talented freshmen this year, so I think we have lots of potential.”
The ultra-talented freshman class includes potential varsity starters: Abby Harder, Tylin Heathman, Maleigha Hinton and Blair Wilson.
“I think as a group, we have a roster with a lot of raw talent,” said Penn. “We have to mold and fine-tune that talent into solid defenders, aggressive base-runners, and smart hitters.”
Penn continued: “We’ll look to our upperclassmen (Fulton, Haiden Richmond, Creasy, Cameron Holcomb and Emily Johnson), as well as those returning sophomores who got a lot of playing time last year, to help lead us. We’ve got a talented crop of freshmen that will likely make up at least half of our infield, and play a significant amount this year.”
The Lady Tigers, however, took a major hit to their pitching staff with the loss of Kylie Boyd. Boyd, who was entering her junior season, has been the Lady Tigers ace for the past two seasons, while also providing solid defense at third base. No reason was given for Boyd’s absence from the roster. In addition to Boyd, the Lady Tigers also lost power-hitting Jadeann Highley. Both Boyd and Highley elected to join the volleyball team for the upcoming season.
Even without Boyd, the Lady Tigers have a deeper pitching rotation on paper than they’ve had the past two seasons. At the top of the rotation are sophomores Leisure and Lundine. Adding to the pitching depth are freshmen Hinton and Harder.
“All four have been working very hard in practices on being able to throw all their pitches and hit their spots,” noted Penn.
The potential is there for a big season, it’s just a matter of gelling on the field, according to Holcomb.
“We need to focus on doing the little things right and taking advantage of our opponents’ mistakes,” said Holcomb. “I expect us to compete hard every outing.”
Roster
Seniors: Anna Fulton, Haiden Richmond, and Sarah Creasy. Juniors: Cameron Holcomb, Emily Johnson, Madison Marbough, and Naudea Dodds.
Sophomores: Maggie Leisure, Hailee Lundine, and Madison Hyder. Freshmen: Abby Harder, Allison Bower, Maleigha Hinton, Tylin Heathman, Jaden Wiggans and Blair Wilson.
Coaches: Tammy Holcomb, head coach; Danny Penn, assistant coach; Payton Rawls, assistant coach.