WILLIAMSBURG — Like many teams in the 13th Region, Whitley County coach Angeles Singleton will return a talented and experienced roster to the mix in 2024.
Her Lady Colonels posted a 12-24 mark, but record doesn’t really show how close Whitley County was to getting over the hump.
The Lady Colonels recorded some big wins while also experiencing some heartbreaking losses, but Singleton looks to see her squad build on both this spring.
“We are returning all starters except for two, and are super-excited to see what these girls can do together on the field,” she said. “Last season wasn’t the best, and we had some struggles but these girls have put in the work in the offseason and are ready to show everyone.
“Definitely believe my girls can make a run in the post season,” Singleton said. “These girls have a lot of talent and we have a lot of depth in positions that we haven’t had in the last few years. So we are looking for some healthy competition to fight for those spots and making the team even better in the process. We have key seniors and juniors that we look to for leadership, and we have some younger girls that we are looking at to help us.”
As with any fatspitch team, pitching a key ingredient to success. Singleton likes what she has while also possessing depth as well.
“We have three pitchers we look to use for the season and work with their strengths as a pitching staff to keep teams off balance at the plate,” she said.
Singleton also expects her team to be in the thick of things when it comes to the 50th District and 13th Region.
“The 50th District is always tight in softball,” she said. “Crystal (Stidham) and Carly (Mink) always have top-notch squads that are tough on all cylinders. And you can never count out Andrea (Winchester) and her crew because they never give up.
“I want to see these Colonels back in the region tournament and to achieve that we need to first or second in the district,” Singleton added. “Of course, the goal is top team in the district which these girls can do, but like I said, it won’t be easy. The girls will have to continue to put in the work day in and day out to get even better and then execute on game day.”
Singleton feels the schedule she has constructed will have her team prepared for postseason play.
“We are playing the tough teams again this year, playing a lot out of the 12th Region, and our own,” she said. “Traveling down to Pigeon Forge over spring break will allow us to experience some teams outside of Kentucky, which we look forward to.”
She expects both Laurel County schools and Corbin to be in the mix when it comes to teams to beat, but also acknowledged the region is stronger as a whole compared to years past.
“Our team will need never back down,” she said. “Scoring first always helps, but if you don’t score first you just have to make you score more than the other team. Our defense will need to be strong to limit the amount of runs given up. “Our pitchers will need to do their part with hitting their spots and limiting the walks,” Singleton added. “Then offense needs to do their part and make sure we are scoring runs. If each job is done then these Colonels will be a tough team to beat.”
