Belle Beam Pictured Above
The Okarche Lady Warriors ended last season with a 10-15 record. As they enter a new season with a clean slate, head coach Skye Tilley says that her group has worked hard and invested a lot to be their best and she expects that to be reflected on the field.
“This group of girls has really fought hard to start building a program that people will remember,” Tilley said. “They showed up for two-a-day practices in the heat of July and went through the growing pains of two new coaches. I’ve really enjoyed seeing them bond as a team and become accountable for their encouragement and team chemistry.
They really don’t realize how much potential they have, but we are still working on learning to play to win rather than play to not lose. They have shown fight, grit, flexibility, and patience in learning a new system and stepping up in varieties of lineups.”
Junior Brittney Darst will be a key player for the team this season. She is a pitcher and utility player. On the mound, she is an off-speed pitcher that does not back down from a fight. She mostly plays shortstop and third base when she is not pitching, but she can also play in the outfield. She is the two-hole in the batting line up and Okarche can always count on Brittney to wake the team’s bats up and get on base.
Another player that will make big contributions this season is senior Madison Nance. Tilley says that Nance is a great player that also has the respect of her teammates. “Madison was chosen MVP by her teammates,” the coach said. “At the beginning of this season, as a team, we talked about what a senior looks like and what this team needed from their seniors. Madison did a great job listening to what her teammates needed from her and she has stepped up to the plate and provided those things.”
Freshman Katie Parham is a utility player and a natural competitor. She hates to lose and is always trying to find ways to perfect her at-bats and her play making in the field. You would never know Katie was a freshman because she leads like an upperclassman.
Belle Beam is a sophomore and a player that Tilley says has grown as an athlete and a person in the offseason. “Belle has really made an effort to push herself out of her comfort zone,” the coach said. “She is starting to gain confidence in her fielding and as a sophomore she is proving that she is going to be a great softball player. Her leadership is seen in action as she has a quiet personality but her team knows she will step up when the game is on the line.”
Other members of the team that will look to make this season successful are Danielle Darst, Anna Shirey, Harper White, Callie Cramer, Kylie Harper, Scout Payne, Jill Glazier, Hannah Carnott, Sara Jacobs, Miriah Hernandez, and Erica Hammons.
