By Wade Holland
In a sign of maturity from one of the youngest teams in the 13th Region, the Lynn Camp Lady Cats have won six of their last seven games, including three by just one run.
Lynn Camp, which is led by two seniors, one junior, and a large pack of freshmen and sophomores, beat Jackson Co. 9-8 in extra innings, Berea 10-9, and Cumberland Gap, TN, 12-11, also in extra innings. In the past, Lynn Camp hadn’t always fared so well in close games, which is proof that Coach Nikki Hendrix’ Lady Cats are growing up.
Lynn Camp traveled to Tennessee two times this week and came home with three victories to improve its record to 12-7 overall. The Lady Cats have the second most wins in the 13th Region, trailing only Clay Co., which has 14.
Lynn Camp has scored 188 runs on the season, which is first in the region. Clay Co. is second with 152. Only three teams in the region have topped 100.
A major reason for the Lady Cats’ continued improvements is the play of their younger players. Freshman Halle Mills continues to prove she is one of the best talents in southeastern Kentucky with stats that are on pace to set school records. The freshman left fielder, who is currently filling in at shortstop, is hitting .439 with 29 hits and 16 RBI in 66 at bats and a team-leading 36 runs scored and a perfect 17-of-17 mark in stolen bases. She also has 35 strike outs in 26 innings worked on the mound.
Fellow freshman Katie Miller is right there with Mills, hitting .455 with 25 hits, 15 RBI, and 21 runs scored. She has walked nine times and is nine for nine in stolen base attempts.
Maybe the biggest improvement from last year to this year is the emergence of junior first baseman Kaley Hendrickson as a legit star for the Lady Cats. She currently leads the team with a .463 batting average and is tied for second with 25 hits. She has 17 RBI and is a leading candidate for Player of the Week in the Kentucky Preps Softball voting for Regions 13 through 16.
Several other underclassmen are also on the rise and making a name for themselves. Freshman Gabby Carollo has come on strong as a first-year starter and is batting .460 with a team-leading 19 RBI. Sophomore Julia Shepherd, who has 24 hits and 17 RBI, and Olivia Dozer, who has 13 hits, have also held their own and proven themselves as game-changing players defensively.
Sophomore pitcher Mady Roberts has won eight of the Lady Cats’ 12 games on the mound while striking out 69 in 68 innings of work. She is showing increased speed on her pitches and her stamina has allowed her to pitch complete games, even in extra inning wins.
Photo by Martin Goley
Other underclassmen who have contributed to the Lady Cats’ success include Hannah Lay, Annabelle Jones, Makayla Wright, Breanna Jones, and Alexis Lowe.
Seniors Makenzie Grant and Erin Holland still display all the star power that earned them team MVPs a year ago. Grant, who has missed some action with an injury, is due back this week. She is hitting .400 with 14 hits, including two triples, and is 13-for-13 in thefts on the base paths. Holland has 19 hits and 14 RBI while drawing a team-leading 15 base on balls to go with a perfect 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts.
Box scores for Lynn Camp’s last three games are still being analyzed and we will report on them in a separate story later today. Stay tuned.
(NOTE: Stats and information included in this story do not come from the Lynn Camp team and are not official and may not match what the Lynn Camp team has for official records. We do our best to always report as accurately as possible and if something we report is not correct, please let us know and we will make corrections. Our goal is to positively promote the student-athletes.)
