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January 31, 2019

Members of the 2019 East Central Community softball team, and their respective hometowns and high schools, include (front row, from left) assistant coach Emily Church; freshman infielder EmilySue Parkman, Lake/Lake; freshman infielder MaKenzie Barnett, Philadelphia/Neshoba Central; sophomore pitcher/infielder Annika Jones, Philadelphia/Leake Academy; freshman outfielder Olivia Houston, Brandon/Northwest Rankin; freshman utility player Kaylee Webb, Ruston, La./Ruston; freshman infielder Hannah Dufault, Hurley/East Central; freshman infielder Kelli Ficken, Terry/Central Hinds Academy; freshman pitcher/infielder Braelyn Boykin, Mize/Mize; and head coach Eric Neel; and (back row, from left) sophomore manager Megan Stewart, Vicksburg/Warren Central; freshman outfielder Parker Breland, Union/Union; freshman infielder Kailee Swindle, Hattiesburg/Presbyterian Christian School; freshman pitcher Brooklyn King, Lucedale/George County; freshman infielder Annabell Watkins, Lena/Leake Academy; freshman pitcher/infielder Jesalyn Jarrette, Baskin, La./Franklin Academy; freshman catcher/infielder Anna McNeer, Canton/Canton Academy; freshman outfielder Olivia Clay, Lake/Lake; freshman catcher Allie Brown, Ackerman/Choctaw County; and freshman manager Christian Neel, Decatur/Pearl River Central. (EC Photo)

When first-year �Ӱ���Ƶ softball coach Eric Neel looks down his lineup for returning starters this season, he won’t find any holdovers from a year ago. But that doesn’t temper his excitement that the 2019 edition of �Ӱ���Ƶ softball is ready to uphold the winning Lady Warrior tradition.

Veteran softball coach Neel took over the program last June after six-year coach Kristin Chaney announced her resignation to enter private business. Neel has realized tremendous success as a softball coach, most recently guiding Lake High School to a second-place finish in the 2018 Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 2A State Fast Pitch Tournament, the school’s first appearance in the finals.

In all, Neel has compiled a 272-132 record over 11 seasons, including five high school state championships in Mississippi, seven state championship appearances, and seven south or north state titles, as well as one regional championship and national tournament appearance at the junior/community college level at Darton State College in Albany, Ga. His state high school championships came at Class 4A East Central in Hurley and Class 5A Wayne County High School in Waynesboro.

Neel will go to battle this spring with a team full of fresh faces. Gone are 17 sophomores off last year’s Lady Warrior team, including all 10 starters. East Central finished 2018 with a 36-14 record, advancing to the MACJC State and National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 tournaments.

“We are really excited about the potential this team is showing as we head into the spring season,” said Neel. “Having a lot of newcomers to the college level is good and bad. The good is they don’t realize yet how good everyone in this league is. The bad is they lack experience at this level.

“We’ve been tough on them in the fall and the spring preseason to help speed up that maturity. The work ethic has been outstanding, and we are excited about what the future holds.”

Neel is also helping to grow that maturity and experience with his scheduling. The Lady Warriors played exhibition games in the fall against NCAA Division I programs Ole Miss, Southern Miss, and Southeastern Louisiana. The 2019 spring season will begin with 10 games over two weekends as the Lady Warriors will participate in the Northeast Mississippi Community College TigerFest Feb. 15-16 in Booneville and the Rush Invitational Feb. 22-23 in Meridian.

“That will give us 70 innings of playing time over two weeks which will expose this young team to the speed of the community college game before we begin MACJC play,” noted Neel. “I believe we have the pitching depth and our players are tough enough to endure such a tough early schedule.”

While no starters return in 2019, Neel is counting heavily on his only sophomore Annika Jones out of Leake Academy. Jones appeared in 15 games last season, mostly as an infielder. This season she will return to the circle where she excelled in high school.

“Annika was a big-time pitcher in high school, but wasn’t quite ready last season to take the circle,” said Neel. “We think she is ready now.”

The Lady Warriors will rely more on a deep pitching staff this season than one dominant ace. Freshmen Braelyn Boykin of Mize, Jesalyn Jarrette of Franklin Academy in Baskin, La., and Brooklyn King of George County will be on that pitching staff.

Freshman outfielder Olivia Houston of Northwest Rankin and freshman infielder Kailee Swindle out of Presbyterian Christian in Hattiesburg will also get a chance to pitch, giving the Lady Warriors six arms in the circle.

“It won’t be a dominant staff, but a pitching staff where any one pitcher can give us one inning, four innings or a complete game,” explained Neel. “Whatever we need that day.”

Neel said this year’s offense will come from speed and power. Freshman slapper Kaylee Webb out of Ruston (La.) High School will lead off and can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield.

“She will be what makes us go offensively,” said Neel. “She’s a great slapper who had a tremendous fall, and she’s got a lot of speed.”

Neel said freshman Anna McNeer out of Canton Academy will be behind the plate. Freshman Hannah Dufault of East Central High School in Hurley will get the nod at third base and freshman Parker Breland of Union has earned a starting spot in the outfield.

“Anna possess a lot of power at the plate, and Hannah will be critical for us defensively,” said Neel. “Parker improved tremendously in the fall and has a chance to be a double-digit home run hitter.”

Neel said he is counting on his team to produce offensively early on to give his pitching staff a chance to develop to this level of play.

“We have a deep pitching staff, but none of them has pitched at this level so there could be some growing pains,” said Neel. “We have some big-time hitters and position players and a lot of speed, so we should be able to steal a lot of bases and turn singles into doubles, which we need to manufacture runs early to support the pitching staff. That will be a key to our season.

“We’ve also put in a lot of work in the weight room and our power has improved from fall to spring, which we hope will boost us offensively.”

Joining Neel on his staff this season is assistant coach Emily Church, who spends the majority of her time working with the pitchers and catchers. Church played for Neel at Darton State and later helped lead NCAA Division I Jacksonville State University (Ala.) to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference softball championships. She led the OVC in home runs and RBI in 2016.

The �Ӱ���Ƶ softball team will open its 2019 home schedule Monday, March 4, when perennial power Lansing Community College (Mich.) visits the Softball Park in Decatur for games at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. A complete schedule can be found at .

All home softball action this season can be heard on WKOZ “Cruisin” 98.3 radio or viewed on live stream video at .