Page 4 - Diamond Roundup Tri Lakes 2015
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4TT
SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015
| TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REVIEW
BENTON PANTHERS
BASEBALL
Conference: 6A South
Coach: Mark Balisterri
Assistant coach: Rusty Davis
2015 record: 26-5 overall
Returning starters: Coach Mark Balister-
ri named Brinson Williams, Jared Barker, Ben Brausell, Cameron Spivey, Colby Johnson, Drew Dyer, Colten Nix, Chase Nix and Ryan Rickford.
Best average: Colten Nix will be counted on to get on base and score runs, the coach said.
Best power: Brausell and Williams are the RBI men in the lineup and can put numbers on the scoreboard with one swing, Balisterri said.
Best fielder: Colten Nix and Williams
Best arm: Drew Harris
Best pitcher: Balisterri will have some depth on
the mound this season. Rickford, Chase Nix, Dyer, Harris and Gunner Smith should all see significant innings, the coach said.
Games to watch: The Panthers and the Yellow- jackets of Sheridan always provide gritty matchups in the 6A South, while the Bryant Hornets are the 7A state champs from last season and could be even better in 2015, Balisterri said.
Expectations for the 2015 season: The Pan- thers of 2015 are strikingly similar to the 2014
SOFTBALL
Conference: 6A South
Coach: Heidi Cox
Assistant coaches: Seth Glidewell and Chris
Murphree
2014 record: 22-5 overall; 12-2 in conference Returning starters: Outfielder Delaney Bono,
third baseman Jordan Herbner, shortstop Taylor Oglesby, outfielder Hannah Ward and designated hitter/pitcher Bre Langford
Best hitter for average: Cox said Herbner is a leadoff batter “with tremendous speed and can cause havoc on the base paths.”
Best power hitter: Langford produces runs with her power and consistency. “She controls the game with her patience at the plate,” Cox said. “She leads with exceptional character.”
Best fielder: Oglesby has an eye for defense. “[She] reads the ball off the bat very well, which al- lows her to get a great jump on the ball,” Cox said.
Best speed: Bono is described by her coach as “very smart on the base paths.” Bono’s speed is a problem for opposing teams and “challenges and makes opponents make mistakes,” Cox said.
Best arm: “[Ward] causes baserunners to second guess themselves with her strength and accuracy [from the outfield],” Cox said.
Best pitcher: Langford will be the primary hurler in the circle for the Lady Panthers. “[Lang- ford has a] great presence and composure on the mound,” Cox said. “[She is] able to locate and change speeds very well.”
BENTON BASEBALL
MARCH 31 ...................................SHERIDAN* APRIL 2 .................................. @TEXARKANA* APRIL 6 ......................................... LAKESIDE APRIL 7 .............................. LAKE HAMILTON* APRIL 10 ................................@EL DORADO* APRIL 13 ..................... @NORTH LITTLE ROCK APRIL 14 ...................................PINE BLUFF* APRIL 17 ............................. @LR PARKVIEW* APRIL 20 ............................................ BEEBE APRIL 21 ........................................LR HALL* APRIL 24 ..................................@SHERIDAN* APRIL 27 ........................................@BRYANT APRIL 28 ...................................TEXARKANA* MAY 1 ..............................@LAKE HAMILTON* MAY 2 ..SPRINGDALE HAR-BER @FAYETTEVILLE MAY 5 .......................................EL DORADO* MAY 8 .................................... @PINE BLUFF*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
Panthers. “We bring back pretty much our whole team from last year,” Balisterri said. “We have beefed our schedule up this season to prepare us for the end of the season.” The Panthers have one focus after winning 26 of their 31 games last season. “Our main focus is to win our last game of the year,” the coach said, inferring a win in the state-title contest.
BENTON SOFTBALL
MARCH 31 ...................................SHERIDAN* APRIL 3 .................................. @TEXARKANA* APRIL 7 .............................. LAKE HAMILTON* APRIL 10 ................................@EL DORADO* APRIL 13-14 .DREW MELTON FOREVER YOUNG
TOURNAMENT (PINE BLUFF*/LR CENTRAL) APRIL 16 ........................................@BRYANT APRIL 20 .................................... WHITE HALL APRIL 21 ........................................LR HALL* APRIL 23 ..................................@SHERIDAN* APRIL 28 ...................................TEXARKANA* MAY 1 ..............................@LAKE HAMILTON* MAY 5 .......................................EL DORADO* MAY 7 .................................... @PINE BLUFF* MAY 8 .............................BENTONVILLE @ATU MAY 11 ..........................NORTH LITTLE ROCK
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
Games to watch: A rematch of last year’s state-title game against Sheridan will be an emo- tional meeting for both teams, the coach said. Games against the defending 7A champs North Little Rock, as well as Cabot, White Hall and Bry- ant will be good tests for the Lady Panthers.
Expectations for the 2015 season: Cox calls her team “a very young team full of strong com- petitors.” She believes, however, they are ready to defend their state title. “Last year’s motto was to ‘finish empty,’ and the girls have made that their legacy here in the Lady Panther program,” Cox said. “We can only hope to be right there again finishing and fighting unselfishly.”
