Five seniors lead WCHS squad
The Warren County High School Lady Pioneers softball team’s season will open March 10, when the Lady Pioneers travel to Lincoln County.
After a much improved season last year, the Lady Pioneers — who finished the 2002 season10-25 overall — will hit the field with five seniors to lead the way.
“This year we have a team with experience and leadership from five seniors,” said coach David Upton. “Brittany Patterson, Jasmine Ware, Tracy Medlen, Crystal Jones and Lacey Griffith are all starters who will give us the leadership we have lacked in the past.
“Coach (Kenneth) Medlen and myself told the seniors we’re putting this team on their shoulders and let them carry the team this year and they have responded to it so far.”
The team also will field five juniors in Erica Warren, Candace Stubblefield, Tara Wood, Kendra Savage and Cassie McGinness, all of whom played last year. Upton said the addition of four sophomores who gained experience on the JV team last year, and six freshman which will give them a good mix, as well.
“The last two or three years we have had to put a lot of younger players on the field,” he said. “This year we have a lot of depth and the freshman can play JV and learn without so much pressure on them.”
The team has been working hard through the winter and is ready to hit the field. The wet weather has hampered workouts over the past two weeks and made it difficult to get much work done outside.
“The girls have worked very hard and have a great attitude this year,” Upton said. “They’re ready to get out on the field and put everything they worked on this winter into practice.
“I have never seen a bunch of kids so ready to get out on the field and get to work. From a coach’s view, it’s very exciting to know these girls can’t wait to get out on the field. The girls learned a lot from last year and know they can compete and win against anybody.”
“Last year we didn’t have the confidence we do now, and that’s a big positive for this team,” he added. “We made a few changes this year and moved people around. We will have a good product on the field this year and should benefit from the changes.”
When looking at the district this year, Upton said his Warren County squad should be in the middle of the pack, with a few upsets in their future.
“Oakland should be the strong team this year,” he said. “They have most everyone coming back and finished fourth in the state last year. We played Oakland very tough last year so that should be a positive for the girls.
“The team we have to beat to put us in the upper half of the district is Cookeville. We play Cookeville March 11 at home to open up district play and that’s the team we have to beat. The girls have a chance to win the district and they believe in themselves, so anything’s possible.”
“I’m very excited about our team this year,” he added. “The team has a good chemistry and they know what it takes to be a winner. We have 10 experienced players who are ready to get out their and prove just how good they are.”
Senior Crystal Jones said the increased confidence level is the biggest difference between last season’s team and this year’s Lady Pioneer squad.
“We have a lot of confidence this year,” she said. “Last year we didn’t know if we could win or not. We played well but we lacked maturity. We beat a good Cookeville team last year and built on that.
“All five seniors have been playing together for six years and we have been with the five juniors for five years. We know we can go out there this year and get the job done. We can rely on each other because we have confidence in our teammates. I’m proud to be not just a senior but a leader on this team. All five seniors are leaders and that’s something we haven’t had in the past.”
The Lady Pioneers will be playing on their new on-campus field which saw action in five games last year. Coach Upton and several volunteers have worked on the field over the past year and have the field in top shape for its second season. Warren County has nine home games scheduled this season.