'Sloppy March' possible for softball teams

Soddy-Daisy girls softball coach Wes Skiles watches as his team huddles before their game at Walker
Valley in this March 18, 2014, file photo.
Soddy-Daisy girls softball coach Wes Skiles watches as his team huddles before their game at Walker Valley in this March 18, 2014, file photo.

Three teams to watch

* Soddy-Daisy: Coach Wes Skiles is downplaying the Lady Trojans' talent, but each of the five returning senior starters could play some level of college softball.* Baylor: The Lady Raiders finished runners-up to GPS in the state tournament last year. Part of their success will be determined by the health of outfielder Lauren Lewis, who is dealing with back issues.* Polk County: The Lady Wildcats had one of their best seasons in school history, only to come up one game short of reaching Spring Fling. They return the core of their lineup and pitchers Hannah Triplett and Briana Muller.Three players to watch* Hallie Davis, Walker Valley: The infielder and Lee University signee hit an area-best 17 home runs, drove in 45 runs and scored 46 last season.* Alyssa Coppinger, Whitwell: The future UTC player finished second in the area last season with 28 stolen bases, and she hit six home runs while batting .379.* Allie Jones, Ooltewah: The future Lincoln Memorial University outfielder hit .471, swatted six home runs, drove in 61 runs and scored 41.

Polk County softball coach Bill Triplett turned a soggy field into a winter workout last week.

Before practice he loaded his truck with 1,000 pounds of infield topdressing. He drove to the field, where his players helped spread it around the field so they could attempt to practice on it after they were through.

"It was a weight-training day," Triplett joked Tuesday.

Fields across the greater Chattanooga area have been hampered by winter weather -- not usage, as coaches would prefer. Every team in the area has spent more time indoors practicing and conditioning than outside working on fundaments since practice began on Feb. 9.

It could lead to defensive errors and mental mistakes during the first part of the season, which opens with games across the area Monday afternoon.

"It's been a rough start to the season," Baylor coach Kelli Smith said. "In my younger days, I would have been more stressed out. We don't want to peak in March, so we want to keep it in perspective and play for the end of May.

"I think it's going to be a sloppy March for most teams."

Indoor practices vary at every program. A few have softball-specific areas -- like Sale Creek, where Clifford Kirk's players prepare in a 60-foot by 80-foot building. It's become a second home instead of their field.

"We've been outside three times all year, and one of those times it was real wet and we weren't able to do a lot," Kirk said. "One day we were outside just making long throws.

"I think teams will get better as the season gets along."

Schools without an indoor softball facility usually take to the school gymnasium. Ooltewah coach Jon Massey takes his team to the school's old gym. After a good stretch, players break into hitting groups, where they use pop-up nets and hit off tees or have soft-toss sessions.

"We've done a lot of gym time and spent a lot of time on the mental stuff," said Massey, whose outfielders throw from one corner of the gym to the opposite to somewhat simulate getting the ball back to the infield.

"We go over signs and what to do in different situations," he said. "You just can't do live hitting, and that's a big part of what we want to do here.

"The play might not be as bad as some think, because good pitching will balance a lot of things. There might not be a lot of balls put in play these first couple weeks."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.

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