ROCKINGHAM — Although this season’s roster is younger and less experienced than recent years, it’s not stopping the Richmond Senior High School softball team from setting the bar high in 2024.
Set to become the school’s first spring sports team to open competition next Monday, the Lady Raider softball team has been hard at work this week preparing.
Boasting a 14-player roster, Richmond and fifth-year head coach Mike Way will try to claim the program’s first Sandhills Athletic Conference title since 2019.
Understanding the task may be difficult with reigning SAC champion Scotland High School looking to be the team to beat, Way and company are up to the challenge.
The Lady Raiders return eight players from last year, including six starters who helped the team to a third-place finish in the SAC standings last spring.
Richmond posted a 13-8 overall record, including an 8-4 mark against conference opponents. The Lady Raiders also made the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs, reaching the second round.
Returning for her fourth season of varsity softball will be senior Katie Way, an infielder who also comes back as the team’s leader in several offensive categories.
She’s also the team’s lone returning All-Conference selection, as the other three players — Quston Leviner, Makayla Parks and Macy Steen — have all graduated.
Other multi-year returners are senior outfielders Kady Harris, Addyson Hollingsworth and Christi Jacobs, along with junior infielder Jakayla Steele. The other returning starter is sophomore infielder Hayden Robinson, who played varsity the majority of her freshman season.
Making the jump to varsity full time this spring is junior pitcher Maddie Pearson, who has served as the junior varsity pitcher the past two years. She also made some varsity appearances late in the season as a sophomore.
Rounding out the roster are senior Caroline Hunsucker, juniors Makayla English, Savannah Fields and Trinity Lockhart, along with freshmen Jorja Moore and Emma Rusich.
Senior Ryelan Lyerly, who has played varsity since her sophomore year, will join the team following the end of basketball season.
Pearson will take on the role as the Lady Raiders’ primary pitcher with the most experience, taking over for Leviner, who had pitched the last four seasons.
Coach Way noted that Rusich and Fields will also share time in the circle and that this season’s pitching will “be by committee.”
Moore is expected to serve as the team’s catcher and has some pop in her bat, with Katie Way at shortstop, and Steele, Robinson and Lyerly dotting the other infield positions. Hollingsworth will anchor center field, flanked by Harris in left and Jacobs in right.
Katie Way batted .483 with 31 runs scored, 28 hits and 28 RBI as a junior — all of which are team-highs amongst returning players. Lyerly matched Way with five homers last spring, with Steele powering three longballs.
Lyerly swung the bat at a .333 clip as a junior, knocking 21 hits, including 13 for extra bases. She also had 25 RBI, the second most on the entire 2023 team behind Way.
Coach Way noted that while the team’s pitching will undergo the most change this season, he anticipates the Lady Raiders to be able to produce on offense. A steady diet of scoring runs will complement the team’s pitching.
The SAC will prove to be a challenging conference again this spring, as Scotland went undefeated last year and returns many of its players.
Coach Way also expects Union Pines, which took second in the standings, along with Hoke County and Pinecrest high schools to be competitive.
Playing in a split 3A/4A conference, Richmond only has to contend with Hoke County and Pinecrest to make the 4A state playoffs.
Another looming obstacle the Lady Raiders want to get past is their last two playoff exits, which both came against Holly Springs High School in the second round.
Serving as an assistant coach this season will be Mica Way. Jordan Fortune returns as the junior varsity head coach with Caroline Wilson assisting.
The Lady Raiders will start their new season on Monday at non-conference Jack Britt High School. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
SEASON SCHEDULE: Click here for an always up-to-date schedule for the Richmond softball team.
The Richmond Observer will continue its award-winning coverage of the varsity and junior varsity softball teams this spring.
Follow us on X @ROSports_ for live updates, interviews and more.
