Youth will not slow down Lady Knights

By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
Aug. 6, 2004
A coach with no seniors who says he has one of his best teams ever might be written off as crazy.
But not Jerry Boatner.
Boatner, the coach who has led West Lauderdale's slow-pitch softball team to seven state titles including back-to-back crowns in the last two seasons, returns seven starters from last year's Class 3A championship team. But none of them are seniors.
No matter, Boatner says.
West Lauderdale, the winner of three of the last four state championships, will rely on its core of five juniors and eight sophomores in its search for yet another title. And Boatner insists his team's youth will not be an obstacle.
And while that depth is what Boatner said makes this team special, he doesn't discount the individual talent on his roster. Juniors Holly Herrington, West Lauderdale's leading hitter in 2003, and Sommer Jones, the team's power hitter, both return to the Lady Knights this season.
Jones, who swatted 10 home runs as a sophomore, will help lead an offense that Boatner said is his most powerful offense yet.
But the talent doesn't end there, Boatner insists. Kayla Eubanks, who led the team in extra-base hits in 2003, is back, and so are many others.