The Alcovy Lady Tigers finished their season after reaching the Elite Eight in Columbus for the first time in program history.
For head coach Miranda Lamb, making it to Columbus was years in the making.
“It meant a lot [to get to Columbus], Lamb said. “Making it to Columbus has been a goal that I have had personally since I took over the program. These past four years with this group of seniors and juniors, we realized that if we put in the work, we can make this dream come to fruition.”
After sweeping Super Regionals, the Tigers fell in their first game of the Elite Eight 10-2 to River Ridge. In its second game, Alcovy lost 9-0 to Effingham County to end their season.
Despite the loss, senior Makinzie Johnson will remember the trip to Columbus for a long time.
“Though it did not end like we wanted it to, it was a season I will never forget,” Johnson said. “The drive and the love that we have for each other and for our coaches is something that no one can break. We made a goal at the beginning of the year and we accomplished it.”
The Lady Tigers went 20-14 overall with a perfect 14-0 record in Region 3-AAAAAA play. 2023 was the second year in a row that Alcovy went undefeated in their region.
When assessing her team’s performance in region games, Lamb credited the non-region slate with preparing the Lady Tigers.
“Having a tougher schedule made those easy games a little easier,” Lamb said. “But I think it really prepared us for the Woodward game. Seeing consistent pitching in non-region games similar to what we would see with Woodward and just keeping the focus that Columbus is our goal. The first part of meeting that goal was winning the region.”
In their two games against Woodward Academy Alcovy won 11-5 and 14-7, respectively.
Junior Kailtlyn Williams shared Lamb’s perspective on the schedule and how it molded the team’s play the rest of the season.
“I think we played well, we started off the season with tougher teams and we kept the season going with great competition. We had some ups and downs but those minor setbacks helped us have a major comeback,” Williams said. “We fought hard and handled adversity extremely well and proved everyone wrong of what we are capable of.”
When discussing next season, Lamb sees her non-region schedule looking similar to how it did in 2023.
“[It is about] keeping the focus all year,” Lamb said. “I am going to try my hardest to make our non-region schedule difficult again even though we may be in a different region. I think it is important to see those teams that made it to Columbus, we played a state champion on our schedule this year.”
The Lady Tigers’ two seniors, Ashlyn Hoy and Johnson, received praise from Lamb for their effort towards building the program to what it is today.
Johnson started at third base while Hoy started in the outfield.
“Ashlyn and Makinzie both came in as freshmen and had immediate playing time because I needed them in the lineup,” Lamb said. “Both of them have great attitudes. They come in showing that they want to be there and did their best to show that we are getting better and to help remember what our goal is.”
Outside of Hoy and Johnson, the Lady Tigers have a slew of juniors who are returning in 2024 with the outcome of Columbus still on their minds.
Among the returning players are CeCe Williams, Olivia Tomberlin, Williams and Kaylie McDonald.
“My group of juniors are not the type to go down without a fight,” Lamb said. “With the lack of runs we scored in Columbus this year, with them leading the team, they are not going to let that happen. Most of them have been in the starting lineup since their freshman year, if not their sophomore year. It is going to be fun to see them leading the softball program.”
