Spring Creek right-hander Sarah Hess and her softball teammates open the 2023 season at home today against Hobbton. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
SEVEN SPRINGS — Stay healthy, compete and finish games.
Should Spring Creek achieve those three tasks, then a second consecutive playoff berth — and just the fifth in program history — might be on the horizon this spring.
Experience is undoubtedly the Gators’ calling card. Six starters return to “The Swamp” and look to improve on last year’s 10-win campaign.
“I think we’ll be better than last year [and] the returning girls know we’re as good as anybody in the conference,” SC head coach Troy Smothers said. “We competed every game last year and all of those close games we lost against the conference’s top teams, I expect us to win some of those this year.
“[But] there’s going to be no easy games.”
Spring Creek launches its 2023 campaign at home today against former Carolina 1A opponent Hobbton. The matchup begins a stretch of five games in a six-day span.
First pitch is 5 p.m.
The junior tandem of Emily Williams and Sarah Hess, also dubbed “Fire and Ice,” will command the pitcher’s circle.
Williams logged a 1.88 earned run average (ERA) with 135 strikeouts in 82 innings. At the plate, she hit .367 with 22 hits, 17 RBI and 29 runs scored.
Hess missed the second half of Neuse Six 2A Conference play with an ACL injury. The right-hander batted .692 with 27 hits, 30 runs scored and an eye-popping slugging percentage of 1.102.
“Sarah is close to 100 percent,” Smothers said. “Emily played through injuries she nursed toward the end of the season. She got wore out and tired. There is never any quit in her.”
Joining Williams and Hess in the infield are catcher Mattie Staps, first baseman Heather Alexander and newcomer Jasmine Valentine at the hot corner (third base). Staps batted .344 and knocked in a team-high 31 runs a year ago. She recorded nearly 200 putouts due to strong pitching from Williams and Hess.
Alexander turned in a .393 average with 24 hits and 25 RBI.
Smothers expects seniors AnnMarie Howard and Nhayiris Gadea Sevilla to patrol the outfield. The other spot remains undetermined.
“I think I will have two freshmen starting…young ones getting used to high school ball, get experience and work the nerves out of them,” Smothers said. “The ones returning, it’s a matter of trying to find their groove at the plate and in the field. Our top five – Emily, Sarah, Mattie, Jasmine and Heather – are as good as anybody hitting-wise in the league.
“Defensively, we have to make the routine play that sometimes we didn’t make last year.”
Spring Creek hasn’t posted a winning season in conference play since the Rachel McCullom era in Seven Springs. The talented right-hander, who eventually played at East Carolina, led the Gators to 17 league victories over a two-year span and two playoff trips.
Neuse Six 2A play starts March 21.
“Princeton is the class of the conference until someone knocks them off,” Smother said. “The last two times we played them, we crushed the ball and let the lead get away with defensive miscues. Goldsboro and Eastern Wayne are both going to be better.
“The conference is on the upswing.”
Smothers hopes the same for the Gators.
