Marietta High School’s Katelynn McCarn, in her second year as head softball coach, looks to make improvements this year, but not just in the number of wins they record.
“Looking at last year, I feel like I came into the program and we built a lot of relationships, learned to work together as a team because before we can be successful, we have to be able to play well together,” McCarn explained.
That box ticked, McCarn is ready to move on to some more ambitious targets.
“I expect better things from us this year,” she said. “Last year we had some great wins and some tough losses, but moving on, I really feel like this will be a better season for us.”
To that end, McCarn will lean heavily upon a senior class of five, all of whom have some degree of playing experience.
Pitcher/infielder Taryn Blankenship has worked hard over the summer, putting in the extra time it takes to be an effective pitcher. Laney Hicks, the team’s shortstip will be depended on to produce both offensively and defensively.
"I feel like Laney could be our biggest run producer,” McCarn said. “Last year she batted .333 with an on-base percentage of .555. She hit 13 singles, four doubles, and a triple, but even more than that, she finds a way to get on base, however she can do it.”
Catcher Kenze Hartman was also a big hitter for the team and will be expected to continue this year. Last year Hartman batted .341 with an on-base percentage of .658.
Kaygan Staton is a dependable, effective infielder who plays well wherever she’s needed, and Camila Ochoa will play in the outfield.
Another player that McCarn will count on this year is incoming sophomore Aubry Chill.
“She stepped up last year played a lot of positions, and she hit well for us, too,” McCarn commented. “Aubry has great softball IQ, and is just an all-round utility player who does well wherever we put her.”
The concept of the “softball IQ” is something that McCarn and her team have worked on this summer – apart from athleticism, having a softball IQ requires learning and understanding the game and translating that awareness into situational play.
Another thing they’ve concentrated on is scoring runs.
“We had a lot of luck getting hits, getting runners on base, but that doesn’t do us any good if we don’t advance those runners and score,” McCarn said. McCarn and the Lady Indians have set several team goals that they hope will carry them to a great season.
“Obviously, we want to win games, but more than that, but more than that, we want to make progress, to improve every game,” she said. “We want to have the grit to see what we do wrong and correct it. If we can do those things, we will have a successful season.”