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SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020 THREE RIVERS EDITION/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE DIAMOND ROUNDUP
19SS
BALD KNOB LADY BULLDOGS
Growing pains expected for Bald Knob
PANGBURN SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ................................. @NEMO VISTA* APRIL 7 ........................CONWAY ST. JOSEPH* APRIL 10 ...................................... QUITMAN* APRIL 14 ....................................... BRINKLEY APRIL 16 ..................................... @ENGLAND APRIL 17 ........................................ MIDLAND APRIL 21 ....................................@BIGELOW* APRIL 23 ............. SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH* APRIL 25 ......................... @RATTLER CLASSIC
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
PANGBURN BASEBALL
APRIL 3-4 ............@BATESVILLE TOURNAMENT APRIL 7 .................................. @BATESVILLE* APRIL 9 ....................................... NETTLETON APRIL 14 ..................................BROOKLAND* APRIL 16 ...........................................MANILA APRIL 21 .............................. @VALLEY VIEW* APRIL 23 .................................@TUCKERMAN APRIL 24 .................................... PARAGOULD APRIL 27 ......................................HILLCREST APRIL 28 ................................. BLYTHEVILLE*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
The Bald Knob Lady Bulldogs graduat- ed five seniors last year, so head coach Nicole Mitsunaga said this season will be used to build the team and get the younger players some experience.
“We have 17 girls on the roster, and 13 of them are ninth- and 10th-graders,” Mitsunaga said. “We will experience growing pains, and there will be a learning curve, but we will work to improve and look forward to a strong eighth-grade class coming up next season.”
Last year, Bald Knob finished 20-7, making it to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs. This year, with so many inexperienced players, the coach said, the focus will be on “growing and a lot of educating ourselves.”
“We want to keep our fielding errors under five for every game,” Mitsunaga said. “We strug- gled last year with fielding errors.
“We’ve got to improve on our softball intelli- gence and knowing the game of softball. Our goal would be to improve on field awareness.”
She said that’s why every game is important.
“We will look to make improvements and build on our chemistry throughout the season,” Mitsunaga said.
Sophomore Madyson Shoebottom will be thrust into the starting pitching role after tally- ing an ERA of .238 as a freshman, the coach said.
“We are going to lean real heavy on her,” Mitsunaga said. “She knows she is expected to go out there and do her best.”
The coach said Shoebottom has a lot of movement on her pitches and consistently throws in the high 50s or low 60s. She is also pretty
Conference: 3A-2
Coach: Nicole Mitsunaga Assistant coach: Kevin Nelson 2019 record: 20-7
Returning starters: Senior Sydney Roach; junior Sadie Clark; and sophomores Madyson Shoebottom and Reese Brimer
BALD KNOB SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ..................... PALESTINE-WHEATLEY* APRIL 6 ..................... GREENE COUNTY TECH APRIL 9 ............................. MOUNTAIN HOME APRIL 14 ................................ @RIVERVIEW* APRIL 21 .................................... CAVE CITY*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
BALD KNOB BASEBALL
APRIL 2-4 ......................... TBA: TOURNAMENT APRIL 7 ...................... @HARDING ACADEMY* APRIL 9 ............................................. WYNNE APRIL 13 ......................................PANGBURN APRIL 14 ................................. @RIVERVIEW* APRIL 17 ................................ HARRISBURG* APRIL 20 .....................................BATESVILLE APRIL 21 .....................................CAVE CITY* APRIL 27 .............@SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
consistent and reliable at the plate, with a batting average of .435 and 3 home runs a year ago.
Shoebottom was named to the 2019 50 All-American Softball team and is listed as a Division I prospect.
“Junior Sadie Clark looks to be another power
We will look to
make improvements
and build on
our chemistry
throughout the
season.”
NICOLE MITSUNAGA
BALD KNOB SOFTBALL COACH
hitter for us this year,” Coach Mitsunaga said. Senior Sydney Roach had a .918 field per- centage as a second baseman last year but will
be moved to catcher this spring, the coach said. “She is going to step up in that role for us this year,” Mitsunaga said. “I’m not sure how she will do in that position — she’s still in basketball right now — but she was a catcher in junior high, be-
fore I got here.
“I think she will step up and do fine in that
position; she just needs confidence.” Sophomore Reese Brimer will move to third,
and freshman Ashlynn Ibanez will start at short- stop, the coach said.
“Ashlynn has got great field awareness and is quick on the field,” Mitsunaga said. “She plays travel ball, so she comes to me with quite a bit of experience.”
Sophomore Faith Pickens will take over at center field. Mitsunaga said Pickens has the best arm on the team and is able to throw from the fence if needed.
“She also has a lot of accuracy,” Coach Mitsunaga said.
Jimmy D Youngman, Jr.
Youngman’s
Collision Center & Auto Sales
BROOKS
Bulldogs
WIN!
101 Brooks St. • Bald Knob, Ar 501-724-3266
555 Hwy. 64 East • P.O. Box 738 Bald Knob, Arkansas 72010 Phone: 501-724-3244
Fax: 501-724-3008 | Cell: 501-940-3995