Scotland High’s softball coaches want the Lady Scots to embrace a next-pitch mentality. Whether the count is 3-0 or 0-2, Scotland’s batters should consider each pitch to be the most important one they’ll see on any given night.
When the Lady Scots grasp that mentality, they’ll have a chance to be top competitors in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. But something like that never happens overnight. There’s still plenty of growing pains on the horizon. There will be plenty of learning experiences like Friday night’s 5-4 win at Purnell Swett.
Yes, even wins are learning experiences.
“With a young team like this, this is the sixth game I’ve used a completely different lineup,” head coach Adam Romaine said after the victory. “We get some girls that get in their comfort zone and start hitting the ball well. I try to move them up to get those hits, and they get a different mindset if they’re the first three or four in the lineup.”
Six games into the season, Scotland is currently batting .344 as a team. The Lady Scots have an on-base percentage of .386. That number can only get better, Romaine said, if the team learns to compete for the entirety of each at-bat.
“We did a lot of hitting drills yesterday in practice,” Romaine said. “We worked on hitting middle and backside. We’re letting a lot of pitches get across the plate without seeing them. Unfortunately, we had a couple girls at bat do that tonight and look at third strikes.
“I told these girls sooner or later I’ll have to put a mirror in the dugout and let you look at yourself in there. All you’re doing up there is looking.”
That part of Scotland’s game has improved in the first part of this young season. In the third game of the season, Scotland scored five runs in the seventh inning and almost pulled off a comeback in a 9-6 loss on the road against defending 4A state champion Jack Britt. In Friday’s game at Purnell Swett, Scotland managed to drive in some important runs after sitting through several weather delays.
Kadence Sheppard, who has shared pitching duties this season with her sister, Kinsley, was in the circle against Purnell Swett. She struck out seven batters and yielded two earned runs and seven hits for Scotland.
It wasn’t a bad outing for the freshman.
“You can’t ask for a better game,” Romaine said. “We were going to go three-and-three with her and her sister, but unfortunately her sister rolled her ankle on a foul ball coming back to the plate… Kadence stepped up big time and put a lot on her shoulders. She carried us on the mound. I’m proud of her.”
The Sheppards transferred to the high school from Scotland Christian Academy prior to this academic year, and they are the primary pitchers for the Lady Scots. Kinsley is a sophomore.
Sandhills Athletic Conference play is shaping up to be highly competitive, as usual, and the two pitchers will be counting on their teammates to help their cause at the plate for the rest of the season.
The Lady Scots can be successful as long as they take it one pitch at a time.
