By JON WEBB
Glasgow Daily Times
GLASGOW —
Trojanettes coach Angie Vaughn said her 2010 softball squad is “pretty much the same team” as last year. But that doesn’t mean she expects the same results.
After finishing with an 18-17 mark and a trip to the Region tournament in 2009, many of those defeats came in games Vaughn believed the team should have won. An extra year of experience, coupled with a seven-deep junior class riddled with starters, should help tip the balance in the win column’s favor.
“We’d definitely like to improve on our record,” Vaughn said.
In order to do so, Barren will have to mire through an extremely competitive 15th District. Glasgow returns much of the starting lineup from a 22-win squad, while Monroe County comes into the season boasting an equal mix of seniors and freshmen. According to Vaughn, Glasgow’s unorthodox experience compared with the Trojanettes’ core of juniors will put the two teams on a level playing diamond.
“I think Glasgow is more experienced than us, (even though) they’re definitely younger,” Vaughn said, referring to the Lady Scotties who have played at the varsity level since middle school. “I’d say we’re pretty evenly matched.”
And then there’s Allen County-Scottsville. The Lady Patriots racked up 37 victories en route to a district championship win over Barren, a Region title and three wins in the state tournament at Owensboro. All of this, Vaughn said, renders Allen the Trojanettes’ top-target.
“Allen is favored to win the district,” she said, “but the district is very competitive. We can win any district game, but we can also lose a district game at any time.”
Hailey Vernon and Alissa Hampton will help in the fight. Vaughn said the players will top the Trojanette pitching rotation, while Vernon may also prove to be Barren’s biggest threat behind the plate.
“Our strongest hitter (right now) is probably Hailey,” Vaughn said. “She’s worked hard to improve her overall game.”
The fruits of that hard work will be put to the test immediately, as the Trojanettes open the season with Bowling Green on Monday. The Lady Purples finished second in the Region in runs allowed (73). More than 10 percent of figure came courtesy of the Trojanettes in last year’s kickoff, in which Barren beat Bowling Green 8-7 in eight innings.
Barren will then embark on a two-game road trip, facing Butler County (March 23) and Franklin-Simpson.
The Trojanettes will face Glasgow on March 29 and May 3, and will meet Monroe twice in ten days (April 19 and April 29). Showdowns with the “favored” Lady Patriots loom on April 1 and April 26.
