LAURINBURG — The Lady Scots softball team is searching for a new identity after back-to-back losing seasons.
For the first time in 26 years the Lady Scots are without long-time head coach Patrick Williams at the helm, the veteran coach was promoted to assistant principal which excluded him from being able to coach the team.
Scotland High School Assistant Athletic Director Adam Romaine has stepped into the role and has brought on new assistant coaches in Neil Smith and Morgan Brann. Brann is the school’s athletic trainer and played college softball for Catawba.
The Lady Scots finished last season 7-16 overall and 3-7 in Southeastern Conference play for fifth place. Richmond earned its fifth consecutive regular season championship while Lumberton finished in second place followed by Pinecrest in third, Hoke in fourth, the Lady Scots in fifth and Purnell Swett in sixth.
The Lady Scots earned a in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A playoffs as a No. 32 seed. The Lady Scots fell in the first round to No. 1 Cape Fear, 10-0 in five innings.
During their 2016-17 season, the Lady Scots softball finished last season with an 8-10 overall record and 2-8 in SEC play to finish last in the conference. The team earned a spot in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s 4A playoffs as a No. 32 seed. The Lady Scots fell in the first round to No. 1 North Davidson, 3-0.
A far cry from the SEC champion Lady Scots had took the field in 2015 and compiled a 13-5 record en route to an SEC tournament championship and an appearance in the second round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs.
The past isn’t something the team is focused on, they know there is room for improvement and have been putting in the work during the off and pre-season to try and gain a competitive edge.
Returning for the Lady Scots are all-conference selections seniors Katie Lighthall and Macie Gibson.
Lighthall was the starting short stop for the Lady Scots and ended the year with a team high .456 batting average. Lighthall will again serve on the Lady Scots pitching roster, she was the No. 2 pitcher behind the starter Sarah McCall.
Gibson was the starting center fielder for the Lady Scots and led the team with a .361 on base percentage. Gibson also had the second highest batting average, behind Lighthall, at .343. In the off season, she signed her letter of intent to play college softball with Lenoir Rhyne.
Other returning varsity starters include catcher Jenna Byrd, outfielder McKenzie Wilkerson, pitcher and first baseman Bree Steele and outfielder and second baseman Nakiya Locklear. Katie Smith, who served as a pitched for the Lady Scots JV team last season, has been called up to the varsity roster.
Filling in the gaps remaining gaps left by the graduation of McCall, Jordan Danford and Maggie Laviner are newcomers Mason Roberts, Kandon Luquer, Kassee Lowe and Madison Williams.
Roberts and Luquer played volleyball, Lowe was a cheerleader and Williams ran cross country for Scotland in the fall.
The Lady Scots played a scrimmage game against Dillon on Tuesday evening in preparation for their season opener.
Just like in baseball, the Lady Scots hope to win the conference and be crowned conference champions, because with the NCHSAA rules changes only those two teams receive an automatic bid to the 4A playoffs, the rest of the field is based on a team’s 22-game record. The NCHSAA also decreased the number of teams that advance to the 4A playoffs to 48 and unlike in other sports the 4AA and 4A schools are not separated — making the chances of earning a playoff bid more difficult.
The Lady Scots open their season on Friday, March 2 with a non-conference home game against Terry Sanford at 5 p.m.
Amber Hatten-Staley can be reached at 910-506-3170 or [email protected].
