The 2010 TSSAA softball season is fast approaching. For teams with renewed enthusiasm such as Central and Red Bank, it can’t get here fast enough.
Monday is when the state organization permits play to begin, and the Lady Purple Pounders and Lady Lions are among those slated for action. Central is scheduled to host Rhea County at 5 p.m. Red Bank is set to host Sequatchie County at 6.
The reasons for optimism for the former District 6-AAA rivals begin with their placement in District 6-AA this school year. Each had an overall record slightly below .500 in 2009, and now they’re free from having to compete in a league with Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah, which have 10 state championships between them, including the 2006-08 titles.
“It was very competitve,” junior shortstop Sara Walker said of Central’s former district. “I think we kind of let some of the big-name schools get in our heads too much, and that’s why we weren’t as successful.”
The Lady Pounders’ basketball team went from not winning a district game in three years to winning multiple district games this season and earning a spot in the Region 3 tournament. Red Bank’s volleyball team won a state championship in the fall. Now the softball teams are hoping the drop in class will be fruitful for them, too.