Like a deck of cards, the Carroll softball team’s starting positions were shuffled around until coach Tim Stuewe knew he was holding the best hand possible to start the 2020 campaign.
Of the six returning starters from 2019, all but one shifted to a new spot this season. Brooke Martin (centerfield to shortstop), Katie Gee (shortstop to third), Piper Harness (first base to catcher), Morgan Cashon (left field to center) and Lillian Cooper (right field to second) switched positions without missing a beat.
“We felt that those movements would give us the strongest possible defense we could have out there, then we could fill in the void with the new players,” says Stuewe, whose Lady Dragons went 15-7 before play was halted in March due to COVID-19.
The moves paid off, as Carroll’s defense was its strong suit. Many games were error-free, as the Lady Dragons compiled an impressive .955 fielding percentage for the year behind the stellar pitching of senior Kelly Shackelford, going 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA.
“They have been a huge catalyst to the success of the program, not just this year but as long as they’ve been a part of the Lady Dragons program,” Stuewe says of his seniors.
SEASON RECAP
Bringing 10 players back from a team that reached the postseason’s third round in 2019, the Lady Dragons started sluggish, going 2-3 this spring before winning 13 of their final 17, including a stretch of 10-1.
Many of the team’s seven freshmen aided the cause gaining significant playing time at the plate behind an experienced group of seniors, led by Harness (.446 batting average), Gee (.434) and Martin (.316).
Although Carroll started off slow in District 5-6A competition as well, going 0-2 with losses to 2019 state semifinalist Keller and Denton Guyer before competition halted state-wide, Stuewe says there was a sense that the team had yet to reach its potential.
“I think this team had the tools to be as good as last year’s team,” he says. “One of the advantages this year’s team had was the experience of going three rounds into the playoffs and playing a lot of close games. I was really looking forward to what these young ladies would do because of the experience we were bringing in from last year.”
’20 Roster
Head Coach: Tim Stuewe
Assistant Coaches: Jennifer Hutto, Charlie Liles, Callie Pomroy
2 Claire Carrick Fr.
3 Morgan Cashon So.
4 Anna Hunt Fr.
5 Cameron Timmons Fr.
6 Kelly Shackelford Sr.
7 Mackenzie Rae Jr.
8 Bella Jones Fr.
9 Piper Harness Sr.
10 Brooke Martin Sr.
11 Brooke Berwick Fr.
12 Katie Gee Sr.
13 Eva McDowell Sr.
17 Peyton Clark Sr.
18 Lillian Cooper So.
19 Lauren Galbraith Jr.