With summer workouts in full swing, Newton County-area softball teams are taking their first steps on what they expect to be trips to Columbus.
Each team has begun offseason team activities, but each team entered the offseason with a different focus.
Remarks from each coach provided a glimpse into what the teams are working on.
For the Eastside Lady Eagles and head coach Heather Wood, the mindset has been about strengthening the team’s bond.
“We are holding our weekly workouts,” Wood said. “Our summer is really just a balance between building our team, weekly workouts and then making sure the girls have an efficient recovery period because a majority of them are playing travel ball. Majority of them are playing every weekend.”
Despite losing a few key players, the Lady Eagles are returning many contributors from a 2023 squad that won Region 8-AAAAA and made it to Columbus.
“It is just finding that balance,” Wood said. “Making sure the girls are participating in the workouts we have set up and just giving them that recovery period.”
Similar to Eastside, Alcovy plans to enter the season with a core group of veteran players.
With many of the players going into their final seasons with years of playing experience, head coach Miranda Lamb feels like her team can rely on that.
“We are senior heavy this year,” Lamb said. “We have five seniors and most of them have been playing a great deal of minutes since they were freshman so we are going to be leaning on them a lot just to teach this younger group.”
The Lady Tigers are coming off a 2023 campaign in which they won Region 3-AAAAAA and made it to Columbus.
Even with the large group of seniors, Lamb still wants to emphasize building up a new wave of players that entered the program.
“We have seven incoming freshmen this year. So it is just about teaching them the Alcovy standard and what it is like to be part of the Alcovy softball program,” Lamb said.
For the Newton Lady Rams, the softball program is entering a new chapter.
With the hire of former Heritage softball coach Erica Johnson, the Lady Rams will look to bounce back.
In her short time with the team, Johnson has been impressed, but the expectations are high in year one.
“My interactions have been great with the players,” Johnson said. “I am big on commitment and I have 29 total players between JV and varsity and at least 25 have been coming to daily practices. My focus is to get them to change their mindsets and buy into where I am trying to take this program. Ultimately, the goal is to be in Columbus at the end of October.”
The Lady Rams will look to rebound off a 6-21 year in which the team finished in sixth place in Region 4-AAAAAAA.
When describing her team’s style, Johnson put extra emphasis on just getting the win, no matter what.
“We will be competitive and hard working,” Johnson said. “ We're going to do what is necessary to compete and win games.”
