ESPN RISE has released its final national high school softball poll for 2010 and Soddy-Daisy ended up fourth in the FAB 50.
The Lady Trojans, who won the Class AAA state championship and finished with a 52-2 record, registered the highest national ranking of any team from the Chattanooga area. Ooltewah finished No. 11 in the FAB 50 after it won the Class AAA state title in 2008 and ended up 46-3-1.
“It means quite a bit to the kids on the team,” Soddy-Daisy coach Clifford Kirk said of the national acclaim. “It means a lot to the people in the community of Soddy-Daisy. People would always come up to me and say ‘I see where you got up to No. 7 or 8’, or ‘Oh, you’re up to No. 4 now.’ I thought it was a good conversation piece.”
Soddy-Daisy also sits at No. 5 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25. It’s unlikely that will change, considering many of the records listed beside the teams in that poll are identical to those in the FAB 50.
Adding to the buzz within the program, a new on-campus field is under construction and is expected to be completed before next season. If Kirk can find suitable successors for the seniors — right fielder Brooke Ward, third baseman Brandi Lasley, second baseman Andie Johnson and catcher Taylor Wilson — 2011 could be another season of statewide success and national recognition.
“This is something for me every year, but I expect to to be right back where we were this year,” Kirk said. “I expect to be back in the state tournament. We did lose four good ballplayers. They’re going to be hard to replace. But, we’ve got some good young kids coming in, and we’ve got some good kids that were on our bench.
“I don’t know if we can get through the season only losing two ballgames. If that’s the case, then I think we would have the opportunity to be in the top 10 in the national rankings again. I know it would make a lot of people’s season just to beat us, but we’re certainly going to give it a shot.”
Dunnellon (31-1) defeated Naples (30-2) in Florida’s Class 5A state final. They ended up ranked first and third in the final FAB 50 poll. North Davidson (32-0) from Lexington, N.C., was second.
Two other Tennessee teams were in the final poll. Hendersonville Beech (48-6-1), the team Soddy-Daisy beat in the state final, finished No. 27. Murfreesboro Riverdale (56-8-1), which Beech defeated in the losers-bracket final in the Spring Fling, wound up No. 43.
Dawson to sign in July
Sequatchie County’s Courtney Dawson has accepted a softball scholarship offer and has made plans to sign early next month with Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss.
Dawson pitched, played first base and batted better than .300 most of her senior season, although a late slump left her with a .294 average. The Times Free Press second-team all-area selection still paced the Lady Indians with 11 home runs, 39 RBIs and 21 walks.
Dawson, who is expecting to play third base at Itawamba, visited the campus shortly after her high school season ended. Coach Chad Case had made it known he was seeking a power hitter.
“She went down there, they tried her out and I think she hit six or seven out that day,” Sequatchie County coach Courtney Stewart said. “She’s excited. We’re excited for her. She can hit the ball hard and a long, long way.”
Dawson had planned on enrolling in Middle Tennessee State University’s nursing program and possibly walking on the softball team there.
“I thought it was pretty awesome I was still able to find somewhere where I could get a scholarship to play ball,” Dawson said.