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03-17-2012, 06:35 PM
Bracken County softball coach Chad Persinger has built a winning program in Brooksville as he enters his ninth season leading the Lady Bears' program but one elusive goal has yet to be reached, winning a 10th Region title.
After leading Bracken to eight consecutive district championships and winning 167 games since taking over in 2004, Persinger felt this season his team could take the next step and capture a region crown in 2012.
That could still be a possibility but that was before one of the best players in the region, senior pitcher-shortstop Sara Sticklen, suffered an ACL injury while playing for the Lady Bears' basketball team in January.
"We definitely took a big hit losing Sara," said Persinger. "It's a tough loss for our team, not only because of the kind of player she is but also her leadership qualities. Sara will still be traveling with the team and be an extra assistant coach. We'll put her to work and we're not going to dwell on it. We just have to make the best of it and work hard to improve every game."
Sticklen was also the only upperclassman returning to the squad but Persinger still has a lot of young and experienced talent back from last year's 22-16 team.
The primary pitching duties will now go to sophomore Emma Conley, who will be playing her fourth year of varsity softball. Conley is a right-hander in the pitching circle but also plays a key role as the Lady Bears' leadoff hitter from the left side of the plate.
"We've lost our one-two punch so Emma will now have to pitch a lot more innings than we were planning but she has worked very hard on her pitching," Persinger said. "She's looked very good in the preseason and she's improved her change-up and curves. Emma's not really a strikeout pitcher so we'll have to make the plays behind her and right now we still have a lot of work to do to get better."
Persinger added that freshman MacKenzie Jefferson and eighth-grader Allison Conley will also see some innings in the pitching circle.
Behind the plate is sophomore Mallory Bell.
"Mallory is one of our most seasoned players, she caught last year and played a lot the year before as a designated player," said the coach. "She's been around and she will definitely be one of our leaders, on and off the field. All of our sophomores will have to step up at an early age because we don't have any juniors or seniors on the roster."
Persinger isn't certain about his lineup at this early juncture but MacKenzie Jefferson is being penciled in at first base, sophomore Brooke Woods returns as the regular second baseman, eighth-grader Bailey Cummins and Emma Conley will share time at shortstop and sophomore Cassidy Jefferson will begin the year at third base, taking over for the graduated Hannah Brough at the hot corner.
The outfield will be anchored in center field by sophomore Jordan Wills.
"Jordan is one of the better outfielders in the region," said Persinger. "She's an excellent athlete, she's quick and she's getting a better jump on the ball than she ever has this spring. We'll need her to chase down every ball she can get to out there."
Persinger added that the other outfield spots will likely be manned by sophomores Madison Ishmael and Karly Jefferson but that he will be doing some experimenting with the lineup in the early weeks of the season.
"I'm starting to see some signs from our younger girls that they're ready to step up but we'll see what happens," he said. "We're definitely strong up the middle defensively but we still need to do a lot of work in the hitting cage and gain some experience playing in some tournaments. We will be using different girls in different situations and we're hoping we're a lot better team by the time we play in the All "A" in April."
The Lady Bears open their always challenging schedule with a home game against Campbell County on Monday. There are also games lined up against the likes of Newport Central Catholic, Conner, Montgomery County, Bishop Brossart, Warren Central, Simon Kenton, Scott County, Highlands and others.
Bracken County will also host the 10th Region All "A" Classic beginning on April 4.
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/l...z1pPkNFcS5
After leading Bracken to eight consecutive district championships and winning 167 games since taking over in 2004, Persinger felt this season his team could take the next step and capture a region crown in 2012.
That could still be a possibility but that was before one of the best players in the region, senior pitcher-shortstop Sara Sticklen, suffered an ACL injury while playing for the Lady Bears' basketball team in January.
"We definitely took a big hit losing Sara," said Persinger. "It's a tough loss for our team, not only because of the kind of player she is but also her leadership qualities. Sara will still be traveling with the team and be an extra assistant coach. We'll put her to work and we're not going to dwell on it. We just have to make the best of it and work hard to improve every game."
Sticklen was also the only upperclassman returning to the squad but Persinger still has a lot of young and experienced talent back from last year's 22-16 team.
The primary pitching duties will now go to sophomore Emma Conley, who will be playing her fourth year of varsity softball. Conley is a right-hander in the pitching circle but also plays a key role as the Lady Bears' leadoff hitter from the left side of the plate.
"We've lost our one-two punch so Emma will now have to pitch a lot more innings than we were planning but she has worked very hard on her pitching," Persinger said. "She's looked very good in the preseason and she's improved her change-up and curves. Emma's not really a strikeout pitcher so we'll have to make the plays behind her and right now we still have a lot of work to do to get better."
Persinger added that freshman MacKenzie Jefferson and eighth-grader Allison Conley will also see some innings in the pitching circle.
Behind the plate is sophomore Mallory Bell.
"Mallory is one of our most seasoned players, she caught last year and played a lot the year before as a designated player," said the coach. "She's been around and she will definitely be one of our leaders, on and off the field. All of our sophomores will have to step up at an early age because we don't have any juniors or seniors on the roster."
Persinger isn't certain about his lineup at this early juncture but MacKenzie Jefferson is being penciled in at first base, sophomore Brooke Woods returns as the regular second baseman, eighth-grader Bailey Cummins and Emma Conley will share time at shortstop and sophomore Cassidy Jefferson will begin the year at third base, taking over for the graduated Hannah Brough at the hot corner.
The outfield will be anchored in center field by sophomore Jordan Wills.
"Jordan is one of the better outfielders in the region," said Persinger. "She's an excellent athlete, she's quick and she's getting a better jump on the ball than she ever has this spring. We'll need her to chase down every ball she can get to out there."
Persinger added that the other outfield spots will likely be manned by sophomores Madison Ishmael and Karly Jefferson but that he will be doing some experimenting with the lineup in the early weeks of the season.
"I'm starting to see some signs from our younger girls that they're ready to step up but we'll see what happens," he said. "We're definitely strong up the middle defensively but we still need to do a lot of work in the hitting cage and gain some experience playing in some tournaments. We will be using different girls in different situations and we're hoping we're a lot better team by the time we play in the All "A" in April."
The Lady Bears open their always challenging schedule with a home game against Campbell County on Monday. There are also games lined up against the likes of Newport Central Catholic, Conner, Montgomery County, Bishop Brossart, Warren Central, Simon Kenton, Scott County, Highlands and others.
Bracken County will also host the 10th Region All "A" Classic beginning on April 4.
Read more: http://www.maysville-online.com/sports/l...z1pPkNFcS5
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