Continuing winning ways
By Brannon King for the FCT
The Russellville High School softball team will be looking to continue their winning ways this season after advancing to the Class 5A State Tournament for the first time last year. New Head Coach Kathryn Montgomery takes over a squad that has a lot of talent and is looking forward to getting the season going.
“We’re very excited,” Montgomery said. “We’re an extremely hard working team that’s full of talent. I think that we’ve got a pretty good shot of going where these girls want to go this year.”
Russellville will be counting on experienced players to help lead the way to success. “We graduated six last year, but we have three returning seniors and one new senior, and they will all probably be starters for us this year. We have very strong defense and bats as well,” Montgomery said.
A couple of key players on this year’s team have names that are familiar to RHS softball followers. “One of our seniors is Kalli Beth Daniel, and she’s going to be an infielder/outfielder for us. Right now, she’s at shortstop mostly,” Montgomery shared. “She’s a top-of-the-lineup type hitter. She slaps mostly from the left side, and she can also stand up and hit. She has extreme speed and knows the game very well and is already committed to Delta State to play in college.
“We also have centerfielder Kayla Cochran. She is really fast, and she’s very vocal – excited and is high-energy all the time. She’s a right-handed hitter and can lay down a bunt or hit a ball off the fence at any time.”
This year’s schedule shapes up to be a good test for Russellville as the Lady Golden Tigers look to return to the state tournament.
“We have a very good and full schedule,” the former UNA player and current RHS head coach said. “It’s one that’s going to challenge our girls from the beginning, which will help them be prepared for the end of the season – which is ultimately what we’re looking forward to.”
If things go the Golden Tigers’ way, they could be looking forward to a lot of success again this season.
