ROCKINGHAM — A new era of Lady Raider softball will officially get underway this week when the team begins its new season.
The Richmond Senior High School softball team underwent a head coaching change during the offseason. Caroline Wilson, a 2016 Richmond graduate and former Lady Raider softball player, was named the program’s new head coach earlier this school year.
Wilson, who served as an assistant coach within the program the past few seasons, will take over for former head coach and athletic director Mike Way.
Excited to take charge of the program she played for less than a decade ago, Wilson has spent the past few months embracing the team and shifting the Lady Raiders in the direction she wants to go.
One of the first challenges Wilson is looking to take control over is where the Lady Raiders finished in the Sandhills Athletic Conference last season. In 2024, Richmond finished fifth out of seven teams with a 7-12 overall record and a 5-7 record against SAC teams.
The lowest the Lady Raiders have finished in the standings in quite some time, Wilson believes the combination of returning players and the influx of younger talent is a good start to getting back toward the top of the standings.
One positive this spring is Richmond returns seven of its 12 players from a season ago. Many of those players were starters, played large chunks of innings or were regular contributors in the field or on base.
Among the returners are four seniors — Mikayla English (outfielder), Trinity Lockhart (outfielder), Madelynn Pearson (pitcher) and Jakayla Steele (infielder).
Pearson was the program’s primary pitcher last season, throwing 95 innings with 96 strikeouts and a 5.60 earned run average. She’ll continue to serve in that role this season, as well as play second base.
Lockhart returns for her second varsity season and will be an anchor in center field, flanked by English, a corner outfielder, who is also playing her second varsity campaign. Steele is the lone multi-year returning senior, a staple at shortstop or third base.
Hayden Robinson, a junior infielder, is back for her third varsity season. A regular contributor the past two seasons, Robinson mirrors Steele as a power bat in the lineup and a strong infielder at the hot corner. She returns as Richmond’s leader in runs batted in (16) and home runs (3) last year.
VIDEO: Trinity Lockhart and Madelynn Pearson Interview
Other underclassmen returners are sophomores Emma Rusich and Jorja Moore, the Lady Raiders’ top two most consistent hitters from last spring.
Moore is rehabbed from a lower leg injury sustained last season. She’ll be the primary catcher again and look to build on her .310 batting average from her freshman year.
Rusich, a pitcher and second baseman, will provide relief to Pearson in the circle. She batted .308 as a ninth grader and pitched 8.2 innings of relief.
Making the jump to varsity are juniors Kinsey Lyerly (first baseman) and Addison Connor (outfielder), along with sophomore Kalynn McCormick, a utility player who can play the middle infield positions or behind the plate.
Rounding out the roster are two freshmen — Carley McCormick, a pitcher-first baseman combo, and Lexi Smith, another catcher and shortstop.
Wilson said McCormick has shown early promise from the circle and will add depth to the rotation, something the team has lacked the past couple of years.
Richmond will be without four-year varsity starter Katie Way and Ryelan Lyerly, a three-year varsity starter, both of whom were All-Conference selections as seniors last year.
VIDEO: Jakayla Steele and Hayden Robinson Interview
With the team’s sights set on climbing the ladder back toward the top of the conference standings, it won’t be an easy task.
The Lady Raiders will have to contend with reigning conference winner Scotland High School, which hasn’t lost a conference game since the 2022 season. The Lady Fighting Scots have won 25 straight SAC games and their last conference loss was a 2-1 decision at Richmond three seasons ago.
Other teams that finished ahead of Richmond last season were Union Pines, Southern Lee and Lee County high schools.
In order to make it back to the NCHSAA playoffs, Richmond needs to win its series with Hoke County and Pinecrest high schools, its two 4A conference opponents. The Lady Raiders snuck into the playoffs in 2024 as a No. 32 seed but lost to top-seeded Garner High School.
Wilson said the goal every year is to contend for a conference championship, and while that’s true this season, she wants the team to approach each game one at a time with confidence.
Serving as assistant coaches this season will be Lauren Brewer and Taylor Parrish. Brewer has taken over the head coaching responsibilities for the junior varsity team and Parrish joins the program for the first time since graduating in 2019.
The Lady Raiders will start their new season Thursday at home against non-conference North Moore High School (1-0). First pitch is set for 6 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.
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