Solid season paves way to bright future!

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The Good Hope Lady Raiders softball team came into this season with a lot of questions. A roster that included a mixture of veteran players as well as 7^th and 8^th graders would be a tall task for any coach, let alone a first year coach with no prior knowledge of any of his athletes. Coach Wayne Harris would step into his first season at Good Hope with his eyes wide open.

The Lady Raiders would start their season as most would expect. Their 1 - 5 record would indicate that things would have come together quickly for the team to turn things around. As more games were played and the girls got comfortable with their new surroundings, things started to fall into place. The Lady Raiders would hover around the .500 mark for most of the season and would end with a school record 18 victories. An 11 win improvement over last year's team.

The girls would finish Runner-up in the county tourney, but avenge that loss by defeating Vinemont in the Area 12 title game to advance to the inaugural North-Central Regional tourney in Birmingham. An opening round shut-out victory versus Walter Wellborn would be that last victory of the season for the Lady Raiders, but the foundation has been laid for what promises to be a very exiting season next year for coach Harris's squad.

A very well rounded team should take the field as 7 returning starters will have Good Hope filled with experience. Trenda Bates and Cara Goodwin will anchor the best 1 - 2 punch on the rubber in the county. Both have big game experience and dominating stuff. But what would a pitcher be without a great catcher? Darcie Wilson will return after a very solid season behind the plate. She started almost every game for coach Harris as an 8th grader. A potent offense led by Brandi Hudson, Goodwin, Henke, among others, will return, with next year's version being much faster from top to bottom. Alannah Henke batting in the middle of the order and getting to play every day in the field will also be a boost for the club. Kayla Tillman, Leigha Weaver, and Katie Windsor will help provide run support for a defense and pitching staff that should be excellent. Adding younger talent to the varsity team in the likes of Balie Andrews, Holly Ward, and Kacy Thomas will also be a big plus for coach Harris.

In my opinion, next years team should have all the ingredients to make a run in Montgomery. The 2010 Lady Raiders should be Good Hope's best chance to bring a 3A state title back to Cullman County. The girls showed flashes of brilliance this year, but consistency will be the key in 2010. Overall the team will still be very young, and loaded in every position. Yes the Lady Raiders entered this season with a lot of questions, but left the season with many more answers, indeed.