By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
With only two seniors and one junior, along with only one returning starter, this will be the youngest Willard team in coach Ashleigh Williams’ 15 years leading the Lady Tigers.
But the slew of sophomores and freshmen who will help make up Willard’s lineup aren’t necessarily the least experienced players Williams has coached.
“They have probably played the most softball of any group I’ve ever had,” Williams said, referring to the players’ summer ball ventures over the years. “They are softball junkies as a whole and while they may be inexperienced at a varsity level, they are not inexperienced softball players. They work year-round with each other to develop chemistry and familiarity needed during games.
“The awesome thing about this group is they have all played together a long time,” she added. “They know each other well and are very supportive of one another, which makes things even more fun.”
Coming off a Class 5 District 5 championship, Willard has momentum on its side.
“Anytime you have a successful year like we had last fall, it does give your program, overall, a little push,” Williams said. “You have returning players who definitely want to get back to where they were and you have the younger players who watched it all and set goals to be just as good, if not better than that team. We know we lost a lot with our seniors, but we have a young group that’s extremely talented and ready to follow in their footsteps.”
Williams feels her “softball junkies” can continue Willard’s winning ways. The Lady Tigers have had just three losing seasons during her tenure as head coach.
“We have a strong group of competitors that are anxious to prove they belong,” she said. “A lot of them saw time last year and that just fueled the fire to want to get back to where we were.”
DJ Dixon, who was 10-4 with a 2.91 ERA last year, leads a pitching staff that is made up entirely of sophomores.
“The positive thing about our staff is we have a lot of options to put out on the mound, so the grind of playing 36 games doesn’t feel as daunting because we can usually get a fresh arm out there,” Williams said. “The struggle is going to be experience and the level of play. With the exception of DJ, it’s going to be new to all of them and DJ only has a year under her belt. We’re going to expect some growing pains, but this group is more than capable of holding teams down and giving us a chance to win ball games.”
Williams anticipates the Lady Tigers’ versatility coming into play defensively.
“Our defense is going to probably look different every game,” she said. “All of these players can play multiple positions at a high level so it will really be who is hitting well, who is on the mound, and who has the best opportunity to be successful against the team we’re playing.”
Outfielder Kenadie Johnson is Willard’s lone returning full-time starter. She delivered a game-winning hit in Willard’s district semifinal victory versus Ozark and finished last year with a .305 batting average.
Johnson has been in right field the past two seasons, but will move to center for her senior season this year.
Senior Sadie Reiber is also an outfielder.
“Sadie is a solid outfielder with good speed and the ability to track down balls, while also being an option behind the plate,” Williams said.
After having veteran teams the past few years, including five senior starters a year ago, Williams is looking forward to seeing her players’ progress over the course of this season.
“I think the biggest difference between this team and last year’s team will be my ability to be patient and give them time to learn and grow,” Williams said. “They’ve already made huge strides over the course of the summer so I have no doubt that they will continue that upward trend as the season progresses. As far as how I coach them, it doesn’t change. We have expectations that are part of this program and everyone that comes through knows that. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman who’s never seen an inning of varsity or a four-year starter, we expect all of our players to work and compete at a certain level. If they aren’t there, then it’s our job to coach them up and get them there. If they are there, then it’s our job to make them even better. It’s a no man left behind mentality. We pour as much into our role players as we do our every day starters.
“Softball/baseball is interesting in the way you don’t get to decide who is going to take the game winning shot or get the ball thrown to them,” she added. “It’s all chance. Who’s up in the bottom of the seventh with the winning run on third? Where does the ball get hit with the game on the line? Those things are out of your hands, so the only thing you can do is make sure every player on the roster is always ready to go.”
Williams hopes the Lady Tigers will improve enough to be in position to repeat as district champions.
“Our strength will also be our weakness — our youth,” Williams said. “Some games it will work in our favor and others it will cost us. We know both sides of that coin and are fully ready to embrace it. The hope is by the time districts roll around, we’ve learned enough to be able to compete for another title. We have the pitching staff, we have solid hitters who hit for high averages, and we have versatile players who can be moved around the field to give us the best opportunity to win ball games.
“We always have high expectations,” she added. “Would I like to say just pick up where we left off? Of course. I think having expectations/goals is obviously a great mechanism to push your kids toward success; however, I think you have to be careful and make sure they are realistic and not setting your kids up for failure. Our expectations are to win ball games, and to win most of them. We have a few circled on our schedule that we are looking forward to as sort of a measuring stick, but our main goal is to compete for seven innings and find a way to win. Then when districts roll around, be able to take everything we learned and hopefully go on another run.
