Lady Wolves solid in the field and in the circle

WESSON, Miss. – Allen Kent, 16th year head coach of the Lady Wolves, hopes for a successful season in 2018 as Co-Lin looks to dominate games on the defensive end and in the pitching circle.

"It was tough to get a read this fall because we only played 4-year schools," said Kent. "But we are much stronger in the field and in the circle this season."

The Lady Wolves have a lot of speed on the roster this season, and look to utilize it on the base paths.

"We have more speed this season…definitely above average in team speed," said Kent. "We will be more aggressive on the bases, but we have to focus on all the little things and make sure we do them the right way."

One of the Lady Wolves biggest strengths this season is the pitching staff. Co-Lin returns both Bailey Root and Christian Black as pitchers.

Root, an MACJC All-State Honorable Mention a year ago, returns to the circle after making 25 appearances as a freshman. She threw 122.1 innings and posted a 9-8 record. Root struck out 85 batters last season and had a 2.92 ERA. Root is verbal leader and is capable of getting shutdown innings whenever they are needed.

Sophomore Christian Black, a hard throwing right-hander, also returns for the Lady Wolves. Black threw 96.2 innings as a freshman in 19 appearances. She struck out 64 batters on her way to seven wins.

Mackenzie Gros, a freshman from Labadieville, La., freshman Makenzie Smith, a Loyd Star High School graduate, and Morgan Dubose, a freshman from Clinton, Miss. will also see time in the circle after strong outings in the fall. These freshman have contrasting style to Root and Black which provides the Lady Wolves some variety for different game senerios.

At the plate and in the field the Lady Wolves lost some very talented players to graduation in Kamryn Vandlandingham and Dianna Hobgood. Vanlandingham earned NJCAA All-Region XXIII recognition and MACJC All-State honors after leading Co-Lin with a .484 batting average and 24 stolen bases, while Hobgood was MACJC All-State Honorable Mention after hitting six homeruns and driving in a team high 37 RBIs.

Stepping up to fill those roles are a host of Co-Lin sophomores.

Alex Anthony, an infielder from Kokomo, Miss., is a gritty player that will be the Lady Wolves vocal leader on the field. Anthony drove in 13 runs as a freshman, batted .259, and swiped 14 bases.

Taylor Bryant looks to be a key to the Lady Wolves success in 2018. The Magee Miss. native had 18 RBIs as a freshman and drew 10 walks. The outfielder had a .415 slugging percentage.

Another sophomore that looks to be a leader is Allison Livingston. Livingston is very knowledgeable of the game, and is known as a team player. In limited plate appearances as a freshman, Livingston drove in three runs on six hits.

Alexsundria Thomas is back for Co-Lin in 2018 after a great freshman campaign. Thomas is a solid defender with a great arm that has shown glimpses of greatness at the plate. Thomas had a .375 on base percentage and drove in 14 runs on 27 hits last season. She also stole 10 bags.

Joining the Lady Wolves in 2018 is Harmoni Ashley of Wesson, Callie Fortenberry of New Hebron, Morgan Dubose of Clinton, Julie Scheuermann of Destrehan, La., Paige Hulin of Mandeville, La., Tori Pettit of Florence, and Abigail Thornton of Wesson.

Freshman to watch in 2018 are Sheuermann and Thornton. Sheuermann works well behind the plate as a catcher and looks to split time with Thomas at the position. Thornton improved tremendously this fall on both the defensive and offensive end. She bought into the offense and has grown into a very consistent hitter.

Coach Kent and third year assistant Jackie Johnson have high expectations for the Lady Wolves in 2018.

"If we play to our potential we should be able to compete against anyone," said Kent. "Our league continues to get better from top to bottom so we need to make the most of our scoring opportunities."

Kent has accumulated a 366-223 overall record at Co-Lin and hopes this team continues the Lady Wolves' tradition of success on the field.

"I feel good about the team we are putting on the field this year," said Kent. "It's just a matter of executing and playing to our potential on a consistent basis."