A preseason inter-squad scrimmage was a positive eye opener for French Camp Academy fast-pitch softball coach Todd Chesser.
“Man, I’m going to tell you I was very impressed with the attitude of the girls and with the play of the girls,” he said. “We had no errors. Our pitchers bombarded the strike zone. Our girls hit. We put it in play.
“I was like ‘Wow, this is better than I thought it would be.’”
With only four starters returning from last year’s team that failed to make the 1A playoffs, Chesser was not overly optimistic in his first year as Lady Panthers coach prior to the scrimmage.
He feels pitching will be solid with junior Brianna Grice and freshman Aubrey Burrell. Grice, who will also play first base, will be one of the team’s best hitters after batting .381 a year ago.
The top returning batter is freshman Abby Leathers, who hit .462 in 2018. She will play short and third.
Other key players include senior outfielder Laney Scott (.393), senior utility player Emory Peacock (.375), sophomore utility player Cadence Tiller, junior infielder/outfielder Haleigh Outlaw (.316), freshman second baseman Cassie Taylor, sophomore outfielder Marnea Miller and freshman catcher Maci Grice, Brianna’s sister.
Jillian Skidmore, an eighth grader, will also see a lot of action. She is the daughter of former coach Sarah Skidmore. “I call her Little Skid and Little Skid can play anywhere on the field,” Chesser said. That includes pitching on occasion.
Chesser said keeping a positive attitude will be the key to success. “That’s what we have been harping on, really committing to the team. I’m going to have girls playing positions that they have never played before.”
