[16th Region]

Kittens look at life without Miller; Boyd ready for run
Rocky Stanley
The Independent The Daily Independent Mon Mar 19, 2012, 01:12 AM EDT

ASHLAND — After back-to-back-to-back 16th Region championships and five consecutive 64th District crowns, Ashland softball begins a new era.

One without Katelyn Miller in the circle.

The first team All-State pitcher left an indelible stamp on the program. High strikeout totals and low or no-hit games became standard fare throughout her career. With Miller as the driving force, Ashland won 91 games over the past three seasons — the last two ending with top-eight finishes at the State Tournament.

“Has there been a more dominant pitcher since we had fastpitch softball in the 16th Region?” said Dave Miller — her father and coach. “If so, it may be somebody I don’t know. It would be hard to imagine. She’s one of those kids you get maybe once in a career.”

The bad news for the rest of the region is that Ashland has practically everybody else back, plus a couple of additions to the lineup.

“I’m very excited about this year,” Dave Miller said. “In the past, we always had a couple (players) that sat in the dugout and didn’t offer much. This year, I don’t have a kid that can’t play.”

The Kittens, ranked 21st in the preseason state coaches poll, are more athletic than ever according to their coach and could be better offensively than a year ago.

Senior Kelsee Hammonds is expected to handle the bulk of the pitching duties. She earned second team All-State honors last year after batting .460, with 51 runs, 40 RBI and seven home runs while providing stellar defense at shortstop. Hammonds also supplied pitching depth behind Miller with an 8-2 record and 2.38 earned run average.

“Kelsee worked hard on her pitching in the offseason,” Dave Miller said. “We are really happy she has moved into that role for us. I don’t think pitching is her love, but she understands where the team needs her. She’s an all-around great kid and leader.”

Hensley and freshman Megan Hensley impressed their coach by allowing a combined one hit in a recent doubleheader scrimmage against Russell and Fairview.

Offensively, catcher Emily Preece and corner infielder McKenzie Vanover each drove in more than 40 runs for the Kittens in 2011. Preece batted .450 while Vanover launched five home runs

Center fielder Kat Jackson joined Miller, Hammonds and Preece as All-Area selections. Jackson batted .352 and has been just as valuable to the Kittens for her outstanding defense.

“She can go get a ball with anybody,” her coach said.

Katie Caron, another .300 hitter, returns at second base. Hensley’s older sister, Jordan, took a year off from softball to concentrate on volleyball, but is back this season and will play first base. She showed signs of power as a sophomore.

Sophomore Sydney Whitt, a transfer from Russell, adds versatility for the Kittens and is projected as a starter in the outfield with Jackson and speedy freshman Megan Griffith.

“Sydney is one of the fastest players on the team,” Miller said. “She also has a great arm and can play several positions.”

Overall, the players’ work ethic continues to impress the coaching staff.

“They run two miles before we ever step on the field for practice,” Miller said. “We started that the year before last during the season. This year, they said ‘Why don’t we start those before the season?’ We started formally conditioning the first of November and they haven’t stopped working. The seniors are the ones who drive that.”

The top threat to Ashland’s supremacy in the region again comes from rival Boyd County, also stocked with proven players.

“They have a lot of talent and experience,” Miller said. “Boyd County has been right there with us at the end the last two years. That’s a team we certainly have our eye on, as well as some of the others.”

Boyd County lost only one player to graduation. Coach Geoff Stewart said the Lady Lions may have the region’s best team up the middle.

Catcher Allison Roark is far along on her comeback from a knee injury that forced her to miss the 2011 season. Shortstop Emily Stewart, second baseman Taylor Wheeler and center fielder Kaitlin Brown are all standouts.

Stewart, a junior, batted .467 with five homers and 39 RBI runs last year. Wheeler hit .370 despite missing half the season with mono and ankle injuries. Brown excels with the bat (.463, five HRs) and defensively.

“I think we also have the best third baseman in the region with Sydney Jackson,” Boyd’s coach said. “It’s really hard to get a ball by her, and she can really pounce on a bunt. Emily, Taylor, Kaitlin and Sydney, those four have a lot of experience and we expect a lot out of them.”

Junior outfielder Nicole Goins, a .375 hitter with four homers, moves from the outfield to first base.

“I’m very confident in Nicole,” Geoff Stewart said.

Flanking Brown in the outfield will be Bri Crooks and likely a combination of Stephanie May and Taylor Newsome.

Boyd’s coach hopes to have junior pitcher Caitlin Coburn (wrist) back at full strength by the end of April. Freshmen Lora Thompson Hannah Irvine stepped up last season to fill the void, with Thompson posting a 10-3 record.

“If we can improve our hitting up and down the lineup a little bit, we should be in a good position to compete for district and region championships,” Geoff Stewart said.

He’s happy that the Lady Lions no longer have to face Katelyn Miller’s shutdown pitching.

“It feels pretty good,” Stewart said. “Ashland is still the favorite. Only time will tell how they react to not having her in the circle.”

Fairview’s new head coach — Lauren Ellis — played for Stewart at Boyd County from 2001-06 and went on to split her college career between Eastern Kentucky and Shawnee State.

Stewart called Ellis “by far” one of the best players to come out of BCHS, not only from a talent standpoint but because of her understanding of the game.

“She’s going to make an extremely good coach,” Stewart said. “Fairview’s program is definitely going to benefit from having her there.”

Ellis is eager to build Fairview into a regional contender. Currently, the roster is loaded with players who are freshmen or younger.

“I like our talent,” she said. “It’s just where we are really young. We will be able to compete.”

She’s well aware of what the Lady Eagles are up against in the 64th District with region powers Ashland and Boyd County.

“It’s a challenge,” Ellis said. “I know those programs well, and I know what we need to do to compete with those teams.”

A mild winter has allowed area teams to get in considerably more outside practices than usual. Ellis said her team is one that has benefited.

By design, Fairview’s first nine games are on the road.

“We’ve got to work on our field to get it ready,” she said.