Young Boone team ready to step to plate
Softball starts hot even as new players gain experience
Senior Nikki Bridgers bats during Boone County’s game against Grant County on Saturday, March 23. The Rebels won the game 10-4.
April 27, 2019
Losing six seniors from last year’s girls team hasn’t changed the outlook for softball coach Andy Petridis who expects “to compete for the district title again this season.”
This is one of the youngest teams Boone has ever seen, but Petridis said “they do have experience playing softball.” He will rely on a blend of new and returning players.
Petridis’ team leaders are seniors Nikki Bridgers and Katie Cooper, junior Star Smith, and sophomores Karys Black and Morgan Daniels.
“(They) will lead the team as they are the oldest and have the most experience,” Petridis said.
Newcomers who will be asked “to carry some of the load” are junior Aliyah Beach, freshman Kaitlyn Irwin, and eighth-grader Harper Kinman.
As a young team, players will need to learn to be “leaders on the field” according to Daniels.
“We are well aware that if we don’t communicate well, then we will have difficulties succeeding,” she said.
Communication is not the only area the players mentioned as something the team needs to improve on. Bridgers said that due to inexperience, “base running and situational plays” are another growth area.
Bridgers was encouraged by how the team has responded during their 4-1 start.
“’This year has been amazing so far because we have energy in the dugout, we pick each other up, we have fun playing with each other, and we play for each other,” Bridgers said.
Bridgers also says one of the greatest strengths is that the team is a family.
“For the seven years that I’ve played, we can never pull through during the (regional) tournament because we never play as a team,” Bridgers said.
The softball team reached the regional tournament each of the past three seasons, losing in the first round last year against Highlands.
District games started with a game at Cooper on April 10. The week after spring break is important for the team because they host a district opponent on April 16, 18, and 19.
Coach Petridis said, “We will have a couple of round robins at our field over the course of the season, bringing in several teams from around the area that we will use to help make the final push for the post-season.”
