BY TIME GAYLE
SPORTS WRITER – SPECIAL TO THE EAN
Top Photo: Coach Brian Pittman talked to team.
PRATTVILLE — Prattville High’s softball team will be making its sixth trip to the state tournament in school history, still basking in the turnaround from last year’s team that failed to make it out of area play.
“It’s really unbelievable,” senior Pyper Castro said. “It does not feel real that we’re here. But I’m also very proud of our team for pushing and getting out of that loser’s bracket (in the regionals) and pushing to get to state.”
The Lions will be making their first trip to the state tournament since 2018, eager to prove they belong among the state’s elite.
“A lot of people doubted us at the beginning of the year because we had a bad season last year,” pitcher and outfielder Kylie Jarman said. “But seeing how much we progressed throughout the year, I knew we could do it.”
Prattville will play Central-Phenix City in the opening round of the state tournament at Oxford on Wednesday. The Lions lost their home opener to the Red Devils 6-1 back in late February.
“It was a game in which both of us were very competitive for about five innings,” first-year coach Brian Pittman said. “We let their run game get on us a little and when you leave a pitch over the plate, that (a three-run home run) is what you get. But we feel like it’s a good matchup for us. We know them, so we’re comfortable with that part. I’m excited to see what we can do and what adjustments we can make.
“I feel like we’ve grown. We’ve found our identity a little bit. That’s probably been the biggest thing for us. We realize what is going to work best for us and we make it happen.”
In that game, the Lions struggled to put together any offense and committed five errors on defense, two parts of their game that have improved the most since the beginning of the season.
“At the beginning of the year, it was shaky,” catcher Magan Baker noted. “We had a lot of confidence issues. We really didn’t have a foundation at all. Coach Pittman, Mike (Battle), coach (Mallory) Durbin and Coach ‘B’ (Ashtin Boswell) came and they set that foundation. They gave us our confidence back. As the season progressed, we got better.
“That was our first home game. We were nervous. We didn’t do our best. We’re a different team now.”
The Lions’ offense has become more reliable late in the season, helping the team win its area and secure one of the qualifying spots in the Central Regional.
“At the beginning of the season, we started out rocky,” shortstop Kaylee Robles said. “We can hit (Central pitchers), they’re nothing special. Our bats were still kind of wonky, a lot of popups, not line drives like we’re doing now. I think we’ve got it this time.”
How far can the Lions go in the state tournament? Their postseason history includes just two wins in five previous trips to the state tournament, but this team has made a habit of disproving the naysayers.
“We’re definitely a lot stronger now,” second baseman Sarah Grace Jones said. “We’ve bonded more, we have more chemistry now and we’re just a stronger group all together.
“This is our game. We all know we have the talent to do this. We have to all work together and put hitting, pitching and defense together. We know that we can do this. We want to go for the trophy.”
The Lions aren’t accustomed to winning on the big stage, but Robles believes that works in the team’s favor.
“We need to have the mindset to just have fun,” she said. “This isn’t big pressure. Just take it like any other game. Just play loose and have fun.”
This isn’t the same team Central faced back in February, the players insisted, and that can actually work to their advantage.
“We’re definitely a different team,” outfielder Jayden Kendrick said. “The chemistry is different, how we play is different, our mindset when we play is totally different.”
AHSAA STATE TOURNAMENT
CLASS 7A
Game 1 — Hewitt-Trussville vs. Hoover, Wednesday, 9 a.m.
Game 2 — Fairhope vs. Mary Montgomery, Wednesday, 9 a.m.
Game 3 — Central-Phenix City vs. Prattville, Wednesday, 9 a.m.
Game 4 — Thompson vs. Spain Park, Wednesday, 9 a.m.
Game 5 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Game 6 — Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Game 7 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Game 8 — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, Wednesday, 12:30 p.m.
Game 9 — Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Game 10 — Loser Game 8 vs. Winner Game 5, Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Game 11 — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Game 12 — Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, Thursday, 9 a.m.
Game 13 — Loser Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12, Thursday, 10:45 p.m.
Game 14 — Finals, Thursday, 1:30 p.m. (A second game, if necessary, will immediately follow)
