STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy fast-pitch softball coach Kayla Mosley went recruiting in the offseason.
Her travels didn’t take her very far, though. Instead, Mosley went down the hall and added a couple of players from the school’s state championship girls basketball squad to the softball roster.
“We added Nora Kathryn Carroll and Maridee Higginbotham to the softball team,” said Mosley, who begins her third season. “Those are seniors with talent and really good leadership skills. It is important to have players who have had success. They know what it takes to win championships.
“We were a young team last year, and will be a young team this year, so I felt it was important to have senior leadership on our team, and those two will help provide that.”
The 2013 season opens at 4 p.m. Friday at Oak Hill Academy. The Lady Volunteers are scheduled to play three times next week — including the home opener against Pillow Academy on Aug. 1 — before hosting a tournament Aug. 3 at Mississippi State University.
“Everybody is excited about the season,” Starkville Academy sophomore pitcher Karlie Lockhart said. “I think we have worked hard. Even though we are a bunch of young players, we enjoy playing the game. I think we learned a lot last season.”
Belhaven College signee Mary Austin Barber was the lone senior on last year’s team. The Lady Volunteers had no juniors a season ago. Outfielder-turned catcher this season Adrienne Futral led the team in hitting and will join Lockhart in the sophomore class.
“It is strange because when you are young one year, everybody expects you to be this veteran team next year,” Mosley said. “That is not the case for us. We have 14 players on the team. We have two seniors, a few sophomores, and a handful of juniors. Everybody else is ninth grade and below.”
A youthful love for the game has combined with a strong work ethic to help the Lady Volunteers prepare for the season. Starkville Academy wants to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2010.
“We have been working hard the last three weeks,” Mosley said. “We got some good work in before school let out then we took a break. Since we got started back, everybody has been here and everybody has been dedicated. You can tell the players have worked on their individual games during the time away.”
Lockhart has been in that group. She is thankful for workout sessions with older sister, Kylie, and father, Scooter, at the Starkville Sportsplex. While helping set a tone, Lockhart feels like she isn’t the only Lady Volunteer working hard.
“I think my teammates have worked hard during the summer,” Lockhart said. “My role as a pitcher is to be a leader for the team. I think having a lot of experience last season will help me be a leader. Being patient and being a hard worker is going to pay off this year. I think we are going to have a good team.”
The Lady Volunteers look to build on last season’s strong finish. After initial struggles, Starkville Academy played break-even softball in the last four weeks of the season. Mosley and assistant coach Mark Alexander look to build on that momentum to start this season.
“We got better as the year went along,” Mosley said. “That is what we want to see this year. It was improvement by each player at each position throughout the season. If we can keep that momentum going forward, we will be fine. If we make the improvement throughout the season this year that we made last year, we will be in contention for the playoffs as the end of the season.”
For Lockhart, the team’s goals are simple.
“A good, open mind is what it is going to take,” Lockhart said. “If we work hard every day and take time individually with our coaches, we will be fine. It will be a good year.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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