Out in the heat of the summer, offseason workouts are underway on the softball diamond for the Lady Greyhounds coming off a season in which they fought their way through a competitive group of frontrunners in the region to get into the state playoffs.
June sets the stage for July for Jones County, which will open the season within the first week of August.
“This month, it’s really about getting our younger girls in here and having our older kids show them how we do things,” Lady Greyhounds head coach Tripp Burt said. “It gives us a chance to work things out so that in July, we’re set up and ready to go and get ready for the big sprint to the end of July.”
But the hard work goes beyond just outside in the elements. It’s also backstopped indoors as well with a key part of offseason work including the weight room. That’s where part of Monday’s workouts began under the guidance of JCHS strength and conditioning coach Taylor Williams.
“It’s been good for us. It’s given us a chance to get back in the weight room and for our younger girls to see from the older ones how we do things in the weight room,” Burt said. “They’ve done a good job of getting in there.”
While Williams’ office is in the field house used mostly by the football program, his role also includes overall strength and conditioning for other athletic programs. That, Burt says, is already making an impact.
“Taylor Williams has done a great job of getting them to buy into getting in the weight room,” Burt said. “Having a dedicated strength and conditioning coach, it’s great for all of our programs. It not only helps our girls be bigger, faster, and stronger, but he also focuses a lot on injury prevention as well.”
