LONDON — North Laurel stands among the elite high school fastpitch programs in the state.
The Lady Jaguars boast an impressive record of 859 wins since the introduction of Fastpitch in Kentucky in 1995, the most in the state.
North Laurel has also won a state-best 19 region championships. The team also secured a state championship in 2000 and finished as state runner-up twice in 1999 and 2008.
The Lady Jaguars are ready to add to their resume beginning Friday with a Final Four appearance against Assumption.
“We always expect to make a deep run every year,” North Laurel coach Chris Edwards said. “Obviously, it doesn’t always work that way. In order to make a deep run you have to be a good team but you have to catch some breaks along the way. In the end though, you can only control what you can control. We can’t control who we draw, game times or anything like that. All we can be is prepared to play the team in front of us. So far, we have been able to do that successfully.
“All of these girls are getting the experience of playing in the State Tournament but also playing at UK,” he added. “It’s a wonderful time in their softball career to do those things and to have the success that we’ve had up there. Until this season, only five of them had ever been a part of it. Now that they have all gotten a taste of it, I hope that it builds a fire to go back. They get to experience the reward for all of the hard work during the summer and off season, the open fields and conditioning they do. It’s an experience that you can’t replicate.”
And once the state tournament is over this weekend, Edwards has the luxury of knowing he will possess a talented roster for years to come.
“It is especially important knowing that we are made up of one senior, four juniors, two sophomores, three freshmen, and six middle schoolers. Experience can’t be understated.
“Of course, it is wonderful to continue to carry on the legacy and tradition that is North Laurel Softball,” he added. “This group has added to the rich history of this program. As I stated earlier, its is cool doing it with players who had mothers play and build this legacy at North Laurel. I’m sure the girls have listened to the stories that they were told about North Laurel and now they get to make their own story.”
So what’s Edwards’ thoughts on being only two wins away from a state championship?
“This is why you coach at a place like North Laurel,” he said. “As I have said before, the district and region championships are some of the first goals of every season. Making it to the state tournament was the goal from the first day of the first practice. We want to bring that hardware back to campus and now we are just two wins away from making that happen. It is a thrilling thought to have but I also won’t allow myself or the girls to dwell too much on that thought yet. We have yet to climb a mountain in Assumption and we need to really focus there first.
“Can this team win the state tournament? I’ll answer that with why can’t we?,” Edwards added. “We have to continue to pitch well and play great defense. We need to continue with the timely hitting, get girls on base and execute. We may need to catch a break or two along the way also, but I have confidence that we will compete.”
