Page 27 - RVO Diamond Roundup March 2017

RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REVIEW | SUNDAY, MARCH 19, 2017
27VV
CLINTON LADY YELLOWJACKETS
Clinton girls determined to make state tournament
BY TAMMY KEITH
SENIOR WRITER
The key word for the Clinton Yellow- jackets this season is determination. Coach Joe Hudson said the team’s goal is to make it to the state tournament.
“We have come up short the last three sea- sons. The girls are determined to get there this year,” he said.
He has the players to make it happen, each with her own strengths, the coach said. Return- ing starters are seniors Daly Dufrene, short- stop; Caycee Lonnon, second base; and Bailey Huffman, outfielder and third base; and juniors Kiaura Balentine, catcher; Kaitlin Kirkendoll, first; and Rue Ragsdale, pitcher/outfielder.
Hudson will count on Ragsdale and junior Tori Bradford to come through in the circle.
“Rue and Tori have been patiently wait- ing behind Tori Johnson (a four-year starter who signed with Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge). I have confidence that they will be an impressive one-two punch this season,” Hudson said.
Conference: 3A-1 East
Coach: Joe Hudson
Assistant coach: Jeremy Carson 2016 record: 23-7
Mascot: Lady Yellowjackets Returning starters: Daly Dufrene,
Caycee Lonnon, Kiaura Balentine, Kaitlin Kirkendoll, Rue Ragsdale and Bailey Huffman
Senior Anna Strawn “has a laser for an arm,” Hudson said. “She doesn’t have any problem throwing from the outfield fence to home plate.
Kirkendoll is the best hitter for average, Hudson said.
“She is superconfident at the plate. Very rarely does she not put the ball in play,” he said. Balentine is a fearsome power hitter, the coach said. “Kiaura has so much power at the plate she scares me sometimes when I am coaching at third,” Hudson said. “If she gets ahold of one, you are not going to have much
time to get out of the way.”
Dufrene is good to have in the field to
counteract the other teams’ power hitters.
CLINTON SOFTBALL
MARCH 27 ......................... VALLEY SPRINGS* MARCH 28 ..................................... @LAMAR* MARCH 30 ............................... DARDANELLE* MARCH 31-APRIL 1 ...... @HARRISON TOURNEY APRIL 3 ......................................... BERGMAN
APRIL 4
APRIL 6
APRIL 7
APRIL 10
APRIL 11
APRIL 13
APRIL 18
APRIL 20 ..............................HEBER SPRINGS APRIL 21 .............................. @DARDANELLE* APRIL 25 ..................................TWO RIVERS*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
“She has the ability to make plays that most players can’t,” Hudson said. Dufrene is a talent- ed base runner, too, the coach added. “If she wasn’t such a great softball player, she would probably have a lot of success in track.”
................................. @TWO RIVERS* ................................ MOUNTAIN VIEW ......................................... @ATKINS*
................................ @POTTSVILLE* .......................................... DOVER* ................................ @PERRYVILLE* .......................................... LAMAR*
WILLIAM HARVEY/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION
Clinton sophomore Kiaura Balentine makes contact with a pitch during early-season action.
She is bound for Blue Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, and other players “have college potential,” Hudson said.
Games to watch include Heber Springs on April 20.
“This is always a good game. They are our rival, and the girls really look forward to play- ing them each year,” Hudson said.
The coach expects 2017 to be a good season because his players are determined to make it happen.
CLINTON YELLOWJACKETS
CLINTON BASEBALL continued from 26VV Two other players to watch will be junior
Tanner Keeling, who is returning and will compete for some time on the infield. Sophomore Ryley McDonald will also compete for playing time on the infield and outfield, Prince said.
“They’re in postseason [basketball], which is awesome. They’re still competing. ... When we get them, we’ll start putting pieces together,” Prince said.
“I’ve got a really good group of freshmen, and I expect them, by the end of the season, by con- ference time, to be playing a role — to get some
bats, competing for some time on the field,” the coach said
Prince has been with the Clinton School Dis- trict for 16 years. The past three of five years, his baseball teams have advanced to state and have been to the regionals the past five.
Games to watch this season include Dover at
home on April 3 and an away game against 5A powerhouse Harrison on April 24, Prince said.
He’s optimistic about this season, yet reluctant to toot the team’s horn.
“I expect to be competing for district, regional and state tournament championships,” he said. “We’ll do the best we can.”
NEMO VISTA RED HAWKS
NEMO VISTA BASEBALL continued from 23VV In the Region 3 Tournament last year,
Nemo Vista rolled over Shirley, 15-1; and Con- cord, 5-1, before falling in the final to South Side Bee Branch, 8-3.
In the Class 1A State Tournament at Mountain Home last year, the Red Hawks opened with a 15-5 win over Trinity Christian before falling to Armorel in the quarterfinals, 5-3.
That was the closest any team could come to Armorel, which hammered Viola in the state-championship game at the University of Arkansas’ Baum Stadium, 13-1 in five innings.
“I think that [state tournament] experience
was huge for our guys,” Williams said. “That gave them a lot of confidence that they could compete with the best teams in the state. Armorel was defi- nitely the best team in the state last year, and we stood toe to toe with them for seven innings. We came real close; it was a good game.
“That gave our guys a lot of confidence.”
Returning Red Hawk starters include seniors pitcher/utility player Justin Brown, center fielder Bradley Hill, and Preston Honeycutt, who will play at second base, shortstop and at catcher; and junior John Riley, who will pitch and play all over the infield and at catcher.
Williams said the Red Hawks’ major strength will be that experience.
A weakness?
“We’ve got plenty of them,” the coach said. “We’ve got some experience, but we’re also going to have some inexperienced guys who have to play some. We’ve got a few positions we’re prob- ably going to have some freshmen playing, and they are going to have to catch on quickly.”
Nemo Vista will play in the 1A-5 North Con- ference, along with Abundant Life, Guy-Perkins, Maumelle Charter, Mount Vernon-Enola, Sacred Heart and Wonderview. Last year, Sacred Heart joined the Red Hawks in the state tournament, exiting in the first round against Bay.
Williams said he expects the league to be tough again in 2017.
“Mount Vernon-Enola is going to be good again,” he said. “We played them in the final of the district tournament last year, and they were young. They have a lot of starters back, so they’ll be tough. Abundant Life has several of their starters back from last year. Wonderview has a new coach, and Sacred Heart is always tough.”
During the regular season, the Red Hawks will play in combined classification 1A/2A District 7 with Bigelow, Conway Christian, Guy-Perkins, Mount Vernon-Enola, Quitman, Sacred Heart, South Side Bee Branch, St. Joseph and Wonderview. Conway Christian was a 2016 Class 2A State Tournament team.