The Louisa Lady Lions Softball team is getting back into the swing of things for this upcoming season. 

  Coming off of a 10-2 record last season, this young team has high hopes for the season. 

  “I’m looking forward to seeing how we grow as a team; there has already been improvement from tryouts to now,” junior Dara Sharpe said. 

  The varsity squad this year has two returning starters including Sharpe, and sophomore Savannah Bragg. These girls have a strong second baseman and shortstop connection since they have played together on past travel ball teams. 

  These strong connections are spanning across the entire team, even though they’ve experienced a lot of change. 

  “We lost a lot of seniors that were really good and played together for years, so it’s going to be that building part of it but also I think we have gelled together automatically since the first day,” senior captain Ali Downey said.

  To help increase the bond between the players and coaches, the varsity softball team went on a retreat.

“It was more than just a practice,” head coach Susan Sharpe said. ”They set their goals, decided how they’re going to get there, and talked about things on the to-do for this year.” 

  Coach Sharpe has been a coach for a number of years, both for the school and outside of the school. Coach Sharpe has also coached travel ball and Little League. 

  Both the players and coaches are excited for the season and the upcoming schedule. 

  “I’m excited about playing at Myrtle Beach [during spring break] because we will play teams that we aren’t familiar with,”Coach Sharpe said. 

  Playing in tournaments like these helps grow the IQ of the players so that when they come back to play teams in the district and region, they are better prepared. 

  The softball team believes that they can overcome challenges this year and become Jefferson-District champions. Varsity softball has not won a district championship in nearly ten years so they hope to see their hardwork and dedication payoff.