Lady Raiders ready for opener

It’s almost spring, which means it’s time to return to the diamond.

The Three Rivers Lady Raiders softball team will kick off their season with a home opener against Volunteer State Community College in a doubleheader on Wednesday.

Head coach Jeff Null plans to lean heavily on his returners to lead the way as gear to take on some tough competition with a younger and inexperienced roster.

“We’re excited about the season but also a little nervous,” Null said. “We have a super young team, and we haven’t had much time on the field because of the weather, so we’re going to find out really fast where we’re at. They’re a solid team, and they’ve planned against some big dog teams, which was a great opportunity. I expect them to come in pretty solid, but I’m really looking forward to knowing where we’re at, and the best way to find out is by jumping right into the lion’s den.”

Despite being unable to play games on their field, Null hopes the pitching will help lead them early on. He feels the Lady Raiders have a strong returner with Elly Eckrich from the mound, who’s already committed to play at UT-Martin, and some other key pieces that can keep them afloat until they find their rhythm. He said defense will also be a priority for the Lady Raiders with hopes that the offense will come alive when needed.

“We think they’re going to do a great job, and I hope our other skills will hold us until we figure out our offensive strategy,” Null said. “It’s rare that we don’t have any explosiveness yet on the offensive end, which can be alarming but also a good learning process. I’m ready to go out there and see how our pitchers stack up against the really good teams, and then, we’ll be able to see where our hitting is at.”

Last season, the Lady Raiders finished 44-12 and held a winning streak of 14 straight games. After a solid season, the Lady Raiders put their skills to the test in the NJCAA Region 16 softball tournament, where they’ve seen a lot of success in the past few seasons. They made it all the way to the third round before falling to Jefferson College 12-4.

Besides Eckrich, pitcher Jordan Moore, catcher Lexi Davis, and Alyssa Bastien will return for the Lady Raiders. After losing some key pieces, Null will rely on the returners to lead by example.

Though the Lady Raiders might not be as explosive at the beginning of the season compared to the previous year, Null said their demeanor for winning their region remains the same.

“The goal for this program does not change because we strive to win the region championship every year,” Null said. “Even during our bad seasons, we’ve always kept the mindset of winning it all. I don’t feel any permanent pressure this season. We’re expected to win when we have a veteran team, but we will never change our expectations. I still want us to be above 500. and one of the top teams in the region.

They’ve been working hard, and we’ve been harder on this group than some in the past because they are so young. The great thing about having freshmen is that they are hungry and eager to improve. I’m expecting good things, but I know we will have some bumps along the way. I expect us to figure it out as we go along, and hopefully, we can play some good ball.”

Null said he loves the position they’re in at the moment as they look to grow as a team, but he wants them to stay ready because other teams will be gunning to play them because of their winning reputation.

“Everybody knows that Three Rivers is going to be one of the top teams, and we’re going to get their best shot each game,” Null said. “But that’s why I’ve been so hard on this group. We’ve been established for a few years as a tough team, so no game we play will be easy. We will never put our team in situations we think they can’t handle, so we’ve done our best to prepare them, and we’re going to learn about ourselves on opening day. We’re going to push and work hard and hopefully come out on the winning side of it.”