LONDON — Six starters return from last season’s 13th Region championship squad as Carly Mink’s South Laurel Lady Cardinals will attempt to repeat as regional champions.
South Laurel surprised many last year by putting together its postseason run, but this season the Lady Cardinals will have a bull’s eye on their back with many prognosticators picking them as the favorite to bring a 13th Region championship back home to London.
“We will have to replace Hannah Carnes, Aubree Laster, and Madison Worley,” Mink said. “We are grateful for what those three gave to the program and they will be tough to replace.
“Our goal every year is to win our district and region,” she added. “We expect to make a deep run into postseason.”
South Laurel posted a 21-13 mark last year and returns one of the most talented rosters in the region.
“We enter this season with one senior, Amara Horn,” Mink said. “Amara has been a starter for the past three years and we will look for her to step into a leadership role for us. We then return starters Addison Baker, Bailey Frazier, Morgan Jackson, Skye Lawson, Emmie Rice, and Kenzie Williams. Audrey Likins returns after stepping up in key roles last year and we expect her to take on a much bigger role this year. We have a lot of depth with a very skilled and talented group of freshman made up of Kennedy Nolan, Kinlee Ertel, Piper Jackson, Sade Lewis, Kenlee Engle and Bella Martin, as well as seventh grader, Ryleigh Bretz.”
The key to the Lady Cardinals’ success could be once again pitching. Mink said that her coaching staff has spent a lot of time during the offseason developing pitching depth behind freshman phenom Kenzie Williams.
“It starts with Kenzie Williams,” Mink said. “Kenzie continues to improve and build off an impressive eighth grade year, that led us to a region title. Morgan Jackson and Audrey Likins have worked diligently in the off season and we expect both of them to be able to go out and win us games.”
To get back into the region tournament and have a chance to repeat as champions, South Laurel first must get out of the 50th District.
“I say this every year — we have the toughest district in the region and it will be no different this year,” Mink said. “Corbin and Whitley have great teams and programs, and we will have to be at our best to make a run at a district championship. We expect to make a run at a region championship, but we can’t accomplish that if we don’t put in the work. We will focus only on getting better each day.
“This region is deep with talented players, good teams, and great coaches,” she added. “Any of the eight teams that make it to the region tournament will be capable of winning it. In order for us to be successful, we have to continue to get better each and every day. We have worked extremely hard in the offseason, but now we have to put all of that together and go compete. We can’t be satisfied with the results of last year.”
