The NTCC spring softball season gets underway this weekend as the Eagles play at Cisco College Friday before playing at Weatherford Saturday.
NTCC?s softball team is looking to build on last season?s 25-33 record, a season that saw the Eagles narrowly miss making it to the regional tournament.
Head coach Jay Terry says that he believes that he has the squad to put together a strong season this spring.†
?We should be a very exciting team to watch this season. We are going to be very fast,? Terry said. ?This team has the best speed of any squad since I have been here. We should also put the ball in play a lot, which will make for exciting games.?
Helping provide that speed for the Eagles this season are outfielders Kelsey Kirkland (Huntington), Kix Hutchins (Bossier City, LA) and Amanda Shirley (Magnolia).
?Defensively, our speed will allow us to get to a lot of balls that we would not have been able to make a play on otherwise,? Terry said. ?Our speed should help us do a lot of things that we might now have been able to do without it.?
While speed should help the Eagles succeed this season, the team also has a number of strong hitters that should help move the runners around the bases.
At the plate, the team should be led by sophomores Christina Martin (Kennedale) and Katie Holcomb (Houston) as well as freshman Hannah Holovach (Mansfield).
?We should be a solid hitting team,? Terry said. ?I think we will put a lot of balls in play and should be able to beat out a lot of throws. We also have power to go along with our speed, so we should see a lot of hits in the gaps and a lot of extra-base hits.?
The inexperience of youth may be one of the obstacles that the Eagles will have to overcome this season as the team will start between seven and nine freshman, including a pitching staff that includes six newcomers.
?We have six freshman pitchers right now and they all complement each other well. I feel like we have two or three starters and then we will also have someone else we can go to if we need to mix up the pace of the game,? Terry said. ?With a 60-plus game schedule, we feel like we have the arms to get through.?
The Eagles softball team will be on the road several times early in the season as they travel to Longview for the Lear Park Tournament next weeked before playing at Grayson County College Feb. 8. The team will make its home debut Feb. 11 as the Eagles host McLennan Community College.
