FC softball team promoting its potential

Franklin County’s softball mantra for the 2023 season, according to Lady Bulldogs Head Coach Tasha Scott, could best be summed up in one simple word — depth.

“There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the new season especially with many of the girls from last year’s line-up returning to play again,” Scott said.

“We also see a returning face that has not been with us for a couple of years, but decided to come back — sophomore Marlee Tindle, who will fill a key slot in the outfield.”

Scott said senior Karlee Wallace, who handles the majority of FC’s varsity pitching duties, will be returning in that role along with playing some at first base, as needed.

Another upperclassman on the team is Amberly Wallace, who will be more of a utility player who will see time as catcher and in the outfield.

Another senior on the roster will be Ja’Kya Brown, who is expected to make contributions to the program after her commitment to basketball has ended.

Five juniors will dot the line-up including Sadye Scott, who is slated to graduate early, but will serve in one more campaign as catcher and some at pitcher.

Dashara Hannon, Indayshia Morgan, Lauren McCaa and Marianna Thomas are all quality players with a great deal of potential for the Lady Dawgs, according to the coach.

In addition, FC softball has four other sophomores with a vast amount of athleticism, including Sophia Miller, Katherine Romero, Jessany Harness and first-year player Kayleigh Richardson.

Two freshmen will also see time on the field including Greyonne Queen and Bradi Wallace.

“These girls are great to not only be around, but to feel their desire to play makes it fun to be out here,” Scott said of her squad.

Also being rolled out this season for the first time is a middle school softball team, which will hopefully build future depth for the Lady Bulldogs.

“Last year, several coaches from other schools had asked us if we had a middle school team, and we looked at how many middle schoolers tried out and saw an opportunity to bring in some players to develop,” Scott said.

“Our goal in trying to build a successful softball program made it clear that this was something that had to happen. Hopefully this will give us some additional time to work on things like fundamentals and techniques at an earlier age that will pay off at the varsity level.”

Another positive is that five or six of these newcomers are interested in pitching and are participating in additional training to that end — something that will be needed with the departure of Wallace and Sadye Scott to graduation after this campaign.

“Pitching depth can be a struggle, but having that many interested in throwing is certainly a positive for the future of this team,” she went on to say.

“It’s really hard to ask just one or two players to carry the load when it comes to pitching and that’s where we’ve been for a while.”

Despite not having a great deal of time to practice in recent weeks due to a wet weather pattern that has prohibited a majority of workouts, Scott said she is seeing progress whenever her team is able to get on the field.

“Where we’re concerned in preparing for the season, there’s always going to be a focus on fundamentals,” she added.

“We’re always looking for strength and consistency when it comes to hitting the ball and driving in run support, and we’ll continue to work on that.”

Scott said another key for success will be to play fundamentally sound on defense by limiting mental and playing errors that have the tendency to compound problems for a team.

“Our goal is to be competitive throughout the season with an eye toward being solid in district with a shot at the playoffs,” Scott said.

Joining Scott as Assistant Coach for the program again is Marla Murray.