CALEDONIA — Caledonia High School first-year softball coach Andy Halford knows where his defense starts.
“My philosophy is a good defense starts with great play at third base,” Halford said. “We certainly have that this year. We feel like the left side of the infield is on lock down. It’s a big challenge because you have a lot of teams trying to slap.”
Ashlyn Jordan is filling the role at third base for the Lady Confederates. Despite being an eighth-grader, she is making contributions for the program.
“We are starting to work together as a team,” Jordan said. “We are starting to keep our heads up and not getting down when we make mistakes. Coach told us you become a great team by learning how to handle adversity. We are really beginning to play much better team ball.”
Last week, Jordan had five hits as Caledonia in one-run wins at Houston and at Amory.
For her efforts, Jordan is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“We have a lot of young people on our team,” Caledonia sophomore Maddy Suggs said. “We only have three seniors and one junior, so that tells you it’s a young team. We have had to have some seventh- and eighth-graders step up and play varsity. It means a lot when a young player like that catches on and is ready to make contributions.
“At third base, (Jordan) is solid. She is going to make all the routine plays and give us a chance.”
To make a run at the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 4A State championship, Caledonia might need more offensive production. The Lady Confederates are averaging slightly better than five runs per game.
Strong pitching and defense have helped the team to an 11-2 record and a 5-1 mark in Class 4A, Region 2 play.
“We are smart on the bases. That’s the best thing about this team,” Jordan said. “If we are able to get somebody on, chances are we are going to be able to score. We have good speed. We like to force the issues on the bases and pressure the other team.”
Halford is content with a having a team of singles hitters. The Lady Confederates simply have to be a little more creative.
“We just don’t have that lineup that is going to consistently hit the ball off the wall,” Halford said. “We do have some speed and we really play smart. A lot of these girls have played together for quite some time. Even though they are young, you can tell the chemistry is there. They are softball smart on the field together.”
Despite a series of recent coaching changes, Caledonia remains an annual playoff participant in Class 4A. While some of the names have changed, the goals remain the same.
This week, Caledonia will play Shannon in a pair of region games. The regular season will ends with a pair of region showdowns against Pontotoc. The Warriors are undefeated in region play and hold a one-game lead in the standings with four games to go.
“We have gotten a lot better at not getting down on ourselves,” Jordan said. “At the beginning of the year, we were still trying to figure out of if we were good enough. Now that we have won these games, we feel a little better about things.
“There is a lot of tradition with the softball program here. It’s our job to keep that up.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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