Feb. 10, 2017
By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer
This could be the year.
The Roane State Raiders’ softball team has jelled into a talented squad of athletes that could grab the conference championship for the first time ever, the head coach says.
“If we play hard-nosed ball and get down to business, take care of the little things, we have every opportunity to compete for the championship,” said Jessica L. Hackworth, who succeeded Sue Niemi as Roane State’s head softball coach.
The team is already a champion in the classroom, she said, with a 3.45 grade point average – highest in its 10-school conference.
The Raiders have seven returning sophomores and 10 freshmen, and they looked great in practice games last fall against big-league contenders like Tennessee Tech, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Austin Peay, Hackworth said.
“We were able to compete at a very high level and produce against some of the top mid-major talent in the state,” she said. “Playing high quality competition in the fall helped us prepare for our tough conference opponents.”
“Our conference is one of the top junior college conferences in the country.”
“It’s a big home-run-hitting conference and the Raiders blasted in 41 round-trips last season,” she said. “We face conference opponents that have quality pitching every series. The amount of talent that we face every weekend is the reason why we must recruit highly sought after student athletes.”
The current cast of sophomores “did really well as freshmen and have done a lot to get themselves prepared for high competition play, day in and day out,” Hackworth said.
One player, Briar Mays, recovering from a rare form of cancer, “could be in a position to play in late spring if we need her,” the coach said.
“First and foremost, we are very excited to have Briar back on campus!
“She brings a personality to the team that you cannot replace! We have missed her and we are glad to have her back on a daily basis.”
Mays, an outfielder, is a “lefty slapper” with a knack for placing the ball really well. “It’s tricky, when you have a slapper that has control of her placement. It can be very difficult to coach against.”
“Natalie Schilling is our starting centerfielder, she finished last season with a .320 batting average and 29 stolen bases. Her home-to-first time this fall has improved to 2.6 seconds. She’s a very good vocal leader for our outfield, and leads by example.
“Haley Goldston, a hometown girl, has the most speed on the pitching staff. She does a good job of using her speed and hitting her locations.”
“Roni Schilling is a junk ball pitcher. She throws a knuckleball that keeps a lot of hitters off balance. Our pitching staff has done a wonderful job this fall, and I foresee them taking another step up this spring.”
Jessica Webb, a transfer player, is also a pitcher but is out for the season due to an injury.
Kacee Hedrick, who has a perfect, 4.0 grade point average, is the starting first baseman and is a “tremendous communicator on the field.
She’s like the Mom on our team,” Hackworth said. “She has a radiant personality yet is a hardnosed ball player. She gives us 110 percent every day. She has a strong bat and we look for her to be another big contributor this spring. She knocked in 10 homeruns last season.”
Hanna Adams is returning as shortstop and she’s like “having another assistant coach on the field,” Hackworth said. “She’s a very good leader, and I know she’s going to be a huge offensive help this spring.”
“Jenna Burnett is our starting third baseman. She led the team offensively last year in most categories, and we look for her to continue her success into this spring.”
Hannah Walker, Lyndsey Jones, Shelby Williams and Caroline Wilson (sidelined this upcoming season with an injury), are outfielders.
“They’ve stepped up to the challenge of competing at a high level,” Hackworth said. “They have pushed one another all fall, and we could use any of these three at any time and not skip a beat.
Lily Ayers, Shianne Knox and Alyssa Turner are infielders who are “very fast athletes. They have pushed one another all fall, and we could use any of these three at any time and not skip a beat.”
Abby Stratton, Chasity Wheeley and Danielle Meadows are catchers with the talent to “throw out a lot of runners. I believe we will have a strong advantage this year with these three behind the plate.”
“They are all really good hitters, and they’ve polished their fundamentals.”
“We’ve got a lineup and a roster of athletic talent from top to bottom,” Hackworth said. “They look like they’ve played together for years.”
For game results and the latest schedule, visit roanestate.edu/athletics.
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