GREYHOUND SOFTBALL
With each day that the heat beats down on the Lady Greyhounds softball field during their morning workouts, one fact becomes more evident – that the start of the season is growing closer and closer.
Jones County, which will be aiming to defend a region tournament title from last year, emerged out of the GHSA’s second dead week last week with three days of workouts in the morning and did the same this week. The sessions were a mixture of weightlifting followed by hitting or defensive work on the field.
There’s little time to waste for the Lady Hounds, who begin their season in early August with early games, including matchups against Houston County and Dodge County. Though summer workouts are voluntary, JCHS head coach Tripp Burt likes what he has seen.
“We’ve had a good turnout. We’ve definitely made steps in the right direction,” Burt said. “Once you get in July and get more toward the season, the mentality becomes more urgent. Even when we’ve had a few out of town, everyone is working hard and doing some good things.”
Jones County’s key losses from last season include Shayla Pennington, Taylor Nipper, Aniya Canty and Ciara Stephens, opening the door of opportunity for a mixture of experienced and new faces to step forward.
“We’ve got a good young group,” Burt said. “They know that if they are not getting better, someone else is.”
