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SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020 THREE RIVERS EDITION/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE DIAMOND ROUNDUP
27SS
BATESVILLE LADY PIONEERS
Young Lady Pioneers step into the circle
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
The biggest areas in need of improvement for the Batesville Lady Pioneers this season will be their pitching and catching spots.
“We graduated a senior pitcher who was selected for the All-Star game, so we have a little bit of rebuilding there,” head coach Scott Hoffman said.
Freshmen Brylie Simpson and Kaelyn Gooch are this year’s starting pitchers, and catching is inexperienced sophomore Caeley Wood, who played at third base last year.
“We are very young, throwing two fresh- men, and my catcher is a sophomore who played a different position last year,” Hoffman said. “Gooch catches when she is not pitching, so we are going to have a freshman pitching all the time and either a freshman or sophomore catcher. We are very young and inexperienced.”
Hoffman said freshman Abby Hurley will get some playing time this year, too, playing mostly at third base.
Batesville, who made it to the district tour- nament a year ago, played just two games this year before the season was postponed as a result of concerns over the coronavirus. The coach said he didn’t feel like playing at the varsity level was “too big for his young team; they just needed more playing time and more live action.”
“One thing we’ve got to get better at is get- ting bigger and stronger and getting ahead in the count with batters,” Hoffman said. “We played some JV games, and our freshmen pitched in those.
“They just need more circle time. We aren’t necessarily walking too many; we are just get- ting behind on counts.
“They also both need to improve accuracy and velocity. Luckily, we haven’t really just let it snowball and walk a bunch of people. They have hung in, battled, and that’s some good things.”
Offensively, Hoffman said, his team has looked well in the early goings but did struggle against Southside Batesville.
“We did not hit it well in that game, or we
STACI VANDAGRIFF/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Batesville freshman Abby Hurley awaits a throw from the outfield during a game against Southside Batesville.
Conference: 4A-3
Head coach: Scott Hoffman Assistant coaches: Colton Bailey and Raydeen Wheeler
2019 record: 20-7
Returning starters: Seniors Carlee Swaim and Lindsey Nail; Juniors Mckenzie Worley and Belen Sanchez; and sophomores Caeley Wood and Taylor Rush
BATESVILLE SOFTBALL
APRIL 3 ............................... WATSON CHAPEL APRIL 4 ......................................... MCCRORY APRIL 7 .................................. POCAHONTAS* APRIL 9 ..................................... @MAUMELLE APRIL 13 ........................................ @FLIPPIN APRIL 14 .................................VALLEY VIEW* APRIL 20 ..........................@MOUNTAIN HOME APRIL 21 ...............................@BLYTHEVILLE* APRIL 28 ..................................@HIGHLAND*
BATESVILLE SOFTBALL continued on 28SS
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
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