SOFTBALL PREVIEW CAPSULES

CHERAW
Braves
Coach: Quinn Alford (1st season)
Last year’s overall record: 18-6
Last year’s region record: 9-1 Region 8-2A
Key players returning: SS Tiffany Chapman; 2B Amber Hancock; CF Maggie Thomas; C Christian Hainey; 1B Cam Scott
Coach’s outlook: We have a good group of dedicated, hard-working young ladies. We hope to remain competitive in our region and look to improve as the season progresses.

EAST CLARENDON
Wolverines
Coach: Lisa Ard (1st year)
Last year’s overall record: 21-6
Last year’s region record: 10-0
Key players lost: 2B Danielle Culick (.307 avg., 98% fielding); 1B Elizabeth Stone (.310 avg., 97% fielding); C Kristan Parker (.356 avg., 95% fielding); 3B Kayla Carsten (.210 avg., 94 % fielding)
Key players returning: P Sloan Welsh (155 K, .409 avg.); SS Brandi Driggers (.391 avg., 95 % fielding); CF Kristan McElveen (.391 avg., 100% fielding); 3B Adri Watford (.426 avg., 95% fielding)
Impact newcomers: Jr. C Sheila Tomlinson; Fr. P Kaitlin Alexander; Soph. LF Alexus Watford
Coach’s outlook: We return the nucleus of our team that has finished second in the lower state the last two years. We are solid defensively and trying to get the bats going again.

JOHNSONVILLE
Flashes
Coach: Randy Willis (1st year)
Last year’s region record: 9-1 Region 8-A
Key players lost: 1B Taylor Prosser; SS Morgan Owens
Key players returning: P/INF Rachel Gaster; C Taylor Bennett; 1B/OF Olivia Hatchell; OF Chloe Hinson; SS Rachel Cribb; 3B Katelyn Hanna; P/IF Ashlyn Cribb; OF April Causey; OF DeAnna Davis; OF/INF Shaina Matthews
Impact newcomers: INF/C Alicia Collins; INF Megan Powell
Coach’s outlook: We have the potential to be a good softball team. It will be tough to replace Taylor Prosser and Morgan Owens. If we can fill those voids, we could have a good year. Our conference is one of the toughest in the state, so we will have to gel quickily.

LAKE CITY
Panthers
Coach: Aaron Goon
Last year’s overall record: 0-16
Last year’s region record: 0-10 Region 7-3A
Key players returning: Sr. SS Kourtney McFadden; So. 3B/P Leah Fleming; Jr. 2B/P/C Jelisa McFadden
Impact newcomer: So. P/INF Candice Dease
Coach’s outlook: Lake City looks to be a much improved team this year with every position returning some varsity experience. Our team will go as far as our defense and pitching will take us.

LAKE VIEW
Wild Gators
Coach: Chad Huggins (142-57, 7 years)
Last year’s overall record: 22-7
Last year’s region record: 8-2 Region 8-A
Key players lost: CF Michelle Miller (16 R, 20 RBI)
Key players returning: Jr. P/2B Avonlea Cooke (85 K, 63 IP, 38 H, 29 R, 14 RBI); Jr. 1B Brittany Floyd (37 H, 24 R, 24 RBI); Eighth-grade 3B/2B Morgan Herlong (18 H, 11 R, 16 RBI); Jr. SS/3B Chessie Miller (40 H, 30 R, 22 RBI); Fr. C Kayla Sanderson (24 H, 15 R, 21 RBI); P/SS Amber Suggs (16-3, 145 K, 120 IP, 33 H, 15 R, 27 RBI)
Impact newcomers: Sr. CF/C/SS Taylor Sanderson
Coach’s outlook: We return eight starters from a team that went 22-7 and despite our youth last season, we lost out of the Class A lower state playoffs in two one-run games. We have two pitchers that are capable of being No. 1 starters, so our pitching depth should help. We just need to work on the fundamentals and eliminate some of the careless errors we made last season. Hopefully, an extra year of maturity and experience will take care of some of those type problems. We started some young girls last year, so I expect that experience to carry over to this season.

SOUTH FLORENCE
Bruins
Coach: Bobby Jones (299-78)
Last year’s overall record: 26-3
Last year’s region record: 9-1 Region 6-4A
Key players lost: Jazz Holliday; Abby Yarborough; Kelsey Pruitt
Key players returning: P Kaiti Harper; SS Ashley Young; 3B Logan Irick; 2B/P Kylie Cribb; CF Ashley Bryant; C Hillary Beckett
Coach’s outlook: As long as we play as a team, we should be ok.