Page 15 - RVO Diamond Roundup March 2017

RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REVIEW | SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017
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VILONIA LADY EAGLES
Lady Eagles coach hopes to continue winning tradition
BY DONNA LAMPKIN STEPHENS
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Vilonia’s Lady Eagles have done noth- ing but win during Kevin Sullivan’s three-year tenure in Faulkner County.
And although in 2017, Sullivan returns the least experienced team he’s ever had at Vilonia, expect the Lady Eagles to be
formidable again.
“They don’t know any better,” said Sullivan,
79-18 atop the varsity program — an .814 win- ning percentage.
The Lady Eagles certainly don’t.
Vilonia finished 24-7 in Sullivan’s first sea- son, 2014, and runner-up to White Hall for the Class 5A state title.
In 2015, the Lady Eagles won their final 23 games en route to a 28-4 mark that included a 5-2 win over Paragould in the state- championship game.
Last season, they finished 27-7 with a classic 5-4, eight-inning win over county rival Greenbrier in the Class 5A title game on the University of Arkansas campus. To reach the championship game, Vilonia outscored Sylvan Hills, Paragould and De Queen by a combined 33-2.
But eight seniors graduated, including six starters, so the 2017 season will likely be a building one.
“I expect us to compete, regardless of who we’ve got out there,” Sullivan said. “We develop the kids who buy into what we teach. They’ll go out there to fight, scratch, claw and play until they kick you off the field, and we’ve got a group of kids who can do that.”
Sullivan and his assistants, Brooke Rexroat and Brandi Johns, have built the program to rosters of 30-plus players over the past four years. With 20 or so on the varsity squad, the others are developing on a freshman/junior varsity team that has obviously yielded good results for future seasons.
Kristen Wade, a 5-4 senior third baseman, leads the contingent of returning starters. For her career, she has hit .366 with 24 doubles, eight triples and 86 runs scored. She helped her team in the state-title game last spring with a diving grab of a two-out line drive to send the game to extra innings.
Other returning starters include senior out- fielder Skylar Lee, senior first baseman Abby Hightower, junior pitcher Marlee Hinsley and junior second baseman/shortstop Callie Eary.
Conference: 5A West
Coach: Kevin Sullivan
Assistant coaches: Brooke Rexroat
and Brandi Johns
2016 record: 27-7
Mascot: Lady Eagles
Returning starters: Kristen Wade,
Skylar Lee, Abby Hightower, Marlee Hinsley and Callie Eary
“Marlee Hinsley split time [with Sydney Wader, the state championship MVP and River Valley & Ozark Edition Player of the Year in 2016, now at Louisiana-Monroe] in the cir- cle, so we will rely heavily on her at pitcher,” Sullivan said. “She has the most game experi- ence of all our pitchers.
“Callie Eary batted second and played sec- ond, but we’ll probably move her to shortstop. She has committed to [the University of Cen- tral Arkansas in Conway], so she’s got some potential. She came on strong last year in the state tournament.”
Eary was 12-for-15 at the plate during the state tournament as a sophomore.
Lee, a left-handed batter, could help a thin pitching staff, Sullivan said. Hightower “is one of those kids who never stops — she played volleyball and basketball and throws the shot and disc in the spring, in addition to softball. She’s a great kid, and I look for good things for her again,” the coach said.
The major team strength is, obviously, tradition.
“They just believe they’re supposed to be good,” Sullivan said. “Whether they are is irrelevant. A lot of that is mindset. I don’t think they expect other teams to lay down for them, but this group knows they’ve got some tradition.”
This season, the Lady Eagles’ farm system should pay dividends.
“We’ve got some young kids who have been waiting their turn, and I’m hoping they will step up when they get their opportunity,” Sullivan said. “This will be their shot.”
The senior class is a special one for Sullivan. They were freshmen when he became head coach.
“All they know is the state finals,” he said. “That’s great, and I want them to believe in that tradition and instill it in the younger kids. The reality is it’s not going to happen every year — it never does — but to have a group like that that’s had success and wants to come
VILONIA SOFTBALL
MARCH 28 ........................................ BEEBE* APRIL 3 ......................................MAUMELLE* APRIL 4 .................................. @BATESVILLE* APRIL 6 ........ FARMINGTON @ARKANSAS TECH APRIL 10 ................................. @MAUMELLE* APRIL 12 ......................................@SEARCY* APRIL 13 .....................................MORRILTON APRIL 14 .......................... ROGERS HERITAGE APRIL 21 ................................... @NASHVILLE APRIL 25 .................................GREENBRIER* APRIL 29 ..................................... VAN BUREN APRIL 29 .......................................DE QUEEN
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
But five seniors — Wade, Lee, Hightower, Kortanie Ruhland (catcher/utility) and Natalie Hare (outfield) — are ready to take the mantle
VILONIA SOFTBALL continued on 19VV
WILLIAM HARVEY/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION
Vilonia junior pitcher Tori Wilbanks warms up in the bullpen.
in and continue it, that’s what we want.” The tradition this spring is balanced by the
inexperience, particularly at pitcher.
“Our pitching staff is very young and very
inexperienced,” Sullivan said.