ROCKINGHAM — If all of the pieces fall into the right place, Mike Way expects the Richmond Senior High School softball team to make a run at a conference title this spring.
Coaching the team in his third year, Way and the Lady Raiders return to normal this season with an 18-game regular season schedule. The team will also compete in its first season of the newly realigned 3A/4A Sandhills Athletic Conference.
Richmond will start its slate on Thursday with an away game at non-conference Montgomery Central High School. Over the past two weeks, the Lady Raiders have spent time gearing up for what they hope will be a playoff-caliber campaign.
“It’s been different in a good way since we’ve been able to have workouts and regular practices,” Way explained. “In a lot of ways we’re more prepared than we were last year, but we still have some questions to answer.
“There is a shift on varsity that’s happening this season in order to fill the needs that we have,” he added. “We’ve been focused on communication more than anything and everyone’s responsibilities. We are trying to figure out the most beneficial positions for everyone to play, and balance out what makes us the best team.”
Richmond returns all three of its All-Conference players from a year ago — senior middle infielders/outfielders Kenleigh Frye and Allyiah Swiney, along with junior pitcher/infielder Quston Leviner.
Senior Kenleigh Frye connects on a pitch during batting practice last week. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Other returning players with varsity experience include junior catcher Macy Steen, and sophomores Katie Way (infielder), Addy Hollingsworth (outfielder) and Ryelan Lyerly (outfielder).
A new addition is junior Makayla Parks, a pitcher and infielder, who transferred from Marlboro Academy. She and Leviner will look to fill the gap left by former pitchers Kearston Bruce and Paige Ransom.
Sophomores Kady Harris, Christi Jacobs and Keyoni Nichols, and freshman Jakayla Steele will all split time between junior varsity and varsity depending on the team’s needs, Way explained.
Frye, who is a four-year varsity starter and Wingate signee, said she and Swiney understand their role as senior leaders this year.
“Allyiah and I are going to really try and help all of the girls this year,” Frye explained. “There are some girls who are new to varsity and we want to make sure that we uphold the standard that is Richmond softball.
“We are setting the bar pretty high and we want to get as many wins as possible. And we also want to get everybody better and grow as a team.”
Frye and Swiney return as Richmond’s top two hitters from last spring, which saw the Lady Raiders go 7-6 overall and finish fourth in the SAC standings. At the plate, Frye hit .444 with 20 hits, while Swiney batted .364 with four homers.
Leviner made 12 appearances as a sophomore in the circle, striking out 38 batters in 40.1 innings of work. She added a .293 batting average at the dish, with Steen (.300) and Katie Way (.286) providing depth in the lineup.
Sophomores Katie Way (batting) and Christi Jacobs (catching) hope to help the team compete in the conference this season. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Coach Way said the Lady Raiders bring “more of a threat to hit more homeruns this year,” but being able to do the little things correctly will help the team. He added that playing fast and hard, getting bunts down, stealing bases and tightening up on defense will help the team succeed.
“Our pitching is going to be good enough, but in order to win games, we need to be strong on defense,” Way explained. “We can’t give extra outs, and need to get them when they’re there. Allowing extra outs and extending innings are what beats us.”
In the circle, Way noted Leviner will be the No. 1 pitcher this spring. She “gained a lot of experience last year” and has a “good mix” of pitches to offset batters and create outs.
Parks, who is getting back into a pitching role to benefit the team, has “stepped up and pitched well” in the early going. Way said Parks will likely become a bigger part of the pitching staff and will be used as a second option to piece together wins.
Junior Quston Leviner, Richmond’s No. 1 pitcher, throws a pitch during a scrimmage last week. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
Swiney, a switch hitter who is signed to Campbell, said the bar for competing in the new conference is high. A key will be for the team to find its cohesiveness early and improve on that.
“The expectation is high since we are going into a new conference and seeing new competition,” Swiney said. “While at practice, we’re trying to build on top of what we’ve already learned so we can be prepared to play.
“Part of that is being sure to lead by example as a senior, especially when we need to stick together and play ball,” she added.
Like every other sport at Richmond, the Lady Raiders will continue to play against 4A opponents Pinecrest and Hoke County. Rival Scotland is also on the schedule, but is a 3A school now.
New SAC teams this spring include Lee County, Southern Lee and Union Pines high schools. As long as Richmond finishes in the top two of the 4A schools, it should clinch a playoff berth.
Way said the team will be mindful of the 3A/4A split, but its focus will be on using every game to get better, regardless of the opponent. He added that if the Lady Raiders can remain competitive with Scotland, they can compete with any other team on their schedule.
“Our No. 1 goal is to get back to the playoffs,” Way explained. “Missing the playoffs last year was something we weren’t used to and I want the girls to experience that. We’ve got some good players and we can be really good, but we just need to get more consistent as the season goes.
“Another goal for the year is to play our style of softball and not let other teams dictate how we play,” he closed. “If we can do that, it gives us the best chance to be competitive.”
Richmond will open with a non-conference game at Montgomery Central on Thursday, starting at 7 p.m.
