By Matt Turer — mturer@ky3.com
@MattTurer
Branson’s 16-11 record last fall was the first above-.500 mark for the Pirates since 2011. It was easy to see coming with the talent being cultivated by Kent Doyle and it could very well be a win total surpassed this fall with the Pirates bringing back most of their key offensive components along with their No. 1 starter.
“We expect to build on last year’s record and hope to show improvement by winning the close games,” Doyle said of a team that lost three one-run games last fall. “I’m hoping that last year’s success will build confidence that the girls can compete with any team we play.”
It’ll again be Gracie Jaeger who makes this offense go. Jaeger hit .494 as a junior in 2016 with a 1.226 OPS, nine doubles, four triples, 15 RBIs, 30 runs and 16 steals. She’s also a great defender with excellent glovework who’ll transition from shortstop to third base this year after moving from catcher to shortstop in 2016. Senior three-year starter Lauren Garrison (CF) is back as well after hitting .300 last year.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL OF THE FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
“Both girls lead by example and are expected to finish their respective careers at Branson with stellar senior seasons,” Doyle said.
Kat Ford (P) met expectations as a freshman last fall after coming in with a fair amount of fanfare, finishing 14-9 with a 2.24 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 103 strikeouts in 159 innings. She’ll only get better in her second varsity season.
Branson graduated just two seniors from last year’s team. This team shouldn’t skip much of a beat.
“I’m happy with the improved hitting and how we’ve shown more consistency at the plate over the summer,” Doyle said. “We have emphasized hitting thus summer with hopes of it paying off this fall.
DOWNLOAD THE NEW O-ZONE APP NOW!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR APPLE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
