Lee Academy softball team looking for strong finish to season
Jameson Collins leading the way with 16 of 22 hits going for extra bases
Bishopville – The Lee Academy softball tam was an even .500 at spring break with a 6-6 overall record. Head coach Craig Nesbit would obviously like to be sporting a better record, but he is optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“Our last nine games are all winnable games, Nesbit said. “I feel confident that we will work things out before the playoffs and will be a contender when that time comes.
“This is a young group. They just have to learn how to put a team away when they get up on them. That knockout punch is what we lack right now.”
The Cavaliers have just two seniors and one junior on the roster but still have eight returning starters from last season.
Leadoff hitter Ansley King is the only senior in the batting order. Freshman Presleigh Greene bats second, sophomore Ansley Nesbit hits third, and sophomore Jameson Collins is the cleanup hitter.
Sophomore Karagan Melton bats fifth followed by eighth-grader Beth Whiteside in the 6 hole. Rounding out the batting order are freshman Bristol Baker, freshman Kaisley Melton and freshman Riley Iseman, the newcomer to the lineup.
Nesbit was an All-State selection last season and was joined on the All-Region team by Collins, King, Karagan Melton and Whiteside.
Collins is ripping the cover off the ball so far. Not only did she have a .550 batting average, but 16 of her 22 hits were for extra bases. She had eight doubles, one triple and seven home runs to go with 37 runs batted in. She had hit three grand slams.
King was batting .489 with an on-base percentage of .540. She’d scored 23 runs and had 13 stolen bases. Nesbit was batting .436 with three homers, 24 runs and 11 RBI, while Greene was hitting .366 with 20 runs and 13 RBI.
Whiteside was batting .394 with 16 runs, while Karagan Melton was batting .462 with 17 runs in nine games.
Iseman .was hitting .308 with 12 RBI, Baker was at .278 with 12 RBI, and Kaisley Melton was at .231.
The Meltons handled most of the pitching duties last season, but Coach Nesbit is spreading the wealth in the circle this year. Senior Sara Bell had the most innings pitched with 18. Kaisley Melton had worked 10 2/3 innings, Karagan Melton 9 2/3, Ansley Nesbit 9, Greene 7 and King 4 2/3.
Junior Addie Grace Wilkes and eighth-grader Rhumer Brown round out the roster.
“We can hit with anyone and can score runs,” Coach Nesbit said. “We just need to clean up our defense and work on limiting our walks from within the circle and we will be fine. We made a run and good showing in the playoffs last year and this is the same team from last year but with a lot more experience.”
