Newton County rode pitchers Shelby Anderson and Brittany Thomas to a 29-7 season and the Class 4A state championship last year.
NEWTON COUNTY SOFTBALL SCHEDULE
But Anderson and Thomas have gone to East Central Community College, leaving veteran coach Justin Chaney with a mixed bag this season.
“It’s going to be different this season,” Chaney said. “We are going to be experienced in some spots and inexperienced in some other spots. Most of my teams work hard, so I hope we continue to get better every game. I think they are starting to do that.”
Chaney said his plans were to use five different pitchers this season with senior Lorren Ivey leading the way. Thomas and Anderson threw 150 of 190 innings last year. Senior Lauren Ivey pitched 22 innings last year and went 5-0 with a 3.45 ERA.
“Ivey is going right now and she will be our top dog,” Chaney said. “But I’ve got five pitchers that are all going to throw this year. There really isn’t a No. 1 to a No. 5. We are going to go off of matchups. They all bring something different to the table. The biggest things with all five of them is to throw the ball across the plate. I think we are going to be pretty good on defense. We just can’t walk anybody and just throw strikes. I think all five of them have something to prove.”
While the Lady Cougars will be inexperienced on the mound, the cupboard isn’t bare.
Coming back for the Lady Cougars are East Central signees Katelyn Gipson and Lizzy Hollingsworth. Gipson hit .408 last year, which was second best among starters while Hollingsworth hit .391 and led the team with 16 stolen bases. Ivey returns in the outfield after hitting .318 last year while Lanie Phillips is back after driving in 25 runs last year. Senior Alex Weir returns with her 22 RBIs as well.
Chaney said he likes what he has seen so far on the offensive side.
“I have been really surprised at some young ladies,” Chaney said. “I don’t think you have to be great on offense — just be productive. I feel like one of our assets is we have a lot of team speed and we will use that. We are going to bunt, run and steal. We are going to play the game in the dirt this season.”
Chaney said he understands this year’s squad will struggle at times with an extremely difficult schedule.
“I know we are going to struggle at times because we are so inexperienced,” Chaney said. “We are playing the same schedule we had last year, and it’s a challenging one. I think we need to play that kind of schedule because it will make us better in the end. I think the biggest thing for us is for everybody to understand their role and work hard. If they do that, come April, I think we will have a shot.”
Newton County went 29-7 last year and will compete in Division 5-4A with Quitman, Mendenhall, Northeast Jones, Florence and Richland.
“Traditionally, Northeast Jones is going to be good every year,” Chaney said. “Quitman is bring back two good pitchers and they are working hard. I don’t know a lot about Florence, Richland and Mendenhall so we will get to work on them as the season gets going.”
