If Veterans’ softball is in need of inspiration they just look up.
When high winds took the top completely off of their home dugout on Oct. 2 it created a rally point and, well, a different perspective for the high-flying Lady Warhawks. The destruction happened just prior to the team claiming the Region 2-AAAA tourney championship at Southern Pines Softball Complex in Dublin. Feelings of triumph were dampened by the damage to the home field and the girls wondered if the facility would be ready to host the first round of the playoffs. Would they enjoy the home field advantage they had fought so hard to win?
Immediately, Houston County School System workers and a host of volunteers went to work to repair the facility. They were successful in getting it to a status of “safe and playable”, but the dugout roof would have to wait. That’s where inspiration came in. The girls caught a view of the blue sky above and adopted a “sky’s the limit” attitude heading into state tournament play under Head Coach David Coffey.
Even though this is the first year as head coach for the Lady Warhawks, Coffey takes the same approach he has used successfully with his Warhawks baseball teams. “I take the same mentality in terms of the philosophy in softball as in baseball. It’s not a sprint, its a marathon. Now we are trying to come down the home stretch, trying to pick up the pace a little bit and we are trying to finish strong.”
Veterans softball is gearing up for another home series in the second round of the GHSA playoffs against Gilmer High School. The Lady Bobcats come into Wednesday’s series with a regular season record of 26-7 and 13-2 in region play. The games are scheduled for 4 and 6 p.m. with an “if” game to be held on Thursday if needed. At stake is a trip to Columbus for the Elite Eight and state tournament finals.
Most teams in Veterans’ situation might be tempted to take over the undamaged dugout and leave their opponent in the elements. Not these girls, they prefer to have no ceiling.
To hear Sportsmic’s live broadcast of the Gilmer County Vs. Veterans game go to Sportsmic.com, listen now, and choose the Veterans Channel from the multi-channel selector.
