The feeling of making it as far as South State is nothing new to the North Pike softball team. In fact, they reached that goal just four years ago, capping-off back-to-back state title runs.
Now the Jaguars have a chance to relive the feeling of punching their ticket to a state title birth this weekend. Standing in their way, however, are the Vancleave Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs are led by pitcher Avery Johnston, who was named a Dandy Dozen player this year.
“You’ve heard a lot of good things about her and how good she is and so forth, so we have been working hard at practice to try and prepare for her,” North Pike head coach Sonya Wallace said.
But Wallace added that the Bulldogs are much more than just their star senior pitcher.
“They are a good hitting team as well. It is not just about the pitcher,” she said. “Obviously, once you get to this point, everybody is going to be good. You just have to be ready and be on top of your game when it gets game time.”
To counter, Wallace has a group of girls led by a quartet of seniors in Meredith Bates, Joli Spears, Sydney Williams and Tristen Tolar, all of whom were on that 2017 team that won the last state title for the Jaguars.
Bates said that the challenge that the Bulldogs present is one that she and her teammates are prepared for.
“I know that if we are calm, then we are going to do good. If we are feeling the pressure, then we are not going to do good,” Bates said. “If we calm down, then we can play with Vancleave.”
Bates has shined this season for North Pike. One of the team’s best hitters, she led all starters in batting average, hits and doubles.
So much of the Jaguars’ success this year has come from pristine pitching and limiting mistakes on defense coupled with timely hitting. But Williams added that a certain motto has provided some extra motivation for the girls, especially in their recent series win over Florence.
“Before almost every inning change, we all go in on three and say ‘Win the inning,’ ” she said. “That was a big thing for us (against Florence). If you don’t win the inning, then you are not going to win the game.”
While the Jaguars have several young ladies who have been big contributors, Averi Paden has been one of the players who has stood out. Due to the coronavirus pandemic halting the 2020 season, the junior did not get to complete her first season with the Jaguars last year after transferring from West Lincoln.
She admits that she is very excited to get the opportunity to compete for South State, something she has yet to experience.
“To me personally, I have never made it past the second round at my old school,” she said. “I’ve never been in this situation and I am just excited to see where this takes us.”
Like Bates, Paden has been a big part of the pitching rotation for North Pike this season. The duo has accounted for 85% of the innings pitched for the Jaguars this season, combining for 17 of the team’s 21 wins and 141 of the team’s 170 strikeouts.
Another factor that has helped North Pike this season is the amount of support from fans, especially the parents. Wallace said she is extremely thankful for the entire fan base, especially the parents.
“We have a great group of parents. I can’t say enough good things about our parents and how much they support us and how much they do for us,” she said. “They have been feeding the girls breakfast every day since we started the playoffs. They have followed us on the road and I think that the crowd that we had here Monday night speaks volumes for the girls. They enjoy supporting them and seeing them work hard.”
And if the Jaguars are able to walk away with the series win over the Bulldogs, Wallace believes it will only be a testament to the hard work that her team put in this season, especially what was shown in Monday night’s two wins over Florence.
“Seeing how hard they played and how hard they fought I think that was just a sign of how much they want to make it and win a state championship,” she said.
Game 1 of the South State series begins today in Vancleave at 6 p.m. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m. in Summit.
