SEASON PREVIEW: Eagle Softball Begins New Era Under Head Coach Sharon Perkins
2/10/2022 2:00:00 PM | Softball
Former Georgia Tech coach comes to Statesboro with the mission to make the Eagles one of the premier teams in the Sun Belt
STATESBORO - Georgia Southern softball embarks on a new era on Friday when the Eagles host the Bash in the Boro tournament at Eagle Field as new head coach Sharon Perkins leads the team into the 2022 season.
For Perkins and the Eagles, their first season together will see Georgia Southern hit the ground running, as they try to compete in a Sun Belt Conference that sent four teams to the NCAA Tournament last year.
But Perkins is no stranger to success herself, both in the conference and nationally, having led Georgia Tech previously to three ACC Championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2022, she will have a team in transition that returns 15 players from a team that finished 17-26 overall. The Eagles won their final six regular season contests and also finished tied for sixth in the Sun Belt standings, their highest finish since 2017.
"This week - game week - it's been exciting," Perkins said about her return to collegiate coaching. "We're back in it, and looking back now to where the team was in August when we started, they've come a long way. And when you see things click, things that we've been working on and they just get it, that's what I love. Them just figuring it out."
The most experienced group of returners for the Eagles is focused on the infield, where three of four starters return, led by Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference first baseman Faith Shirley (5-5, Sr., Winston, Ga.). Shirley hit .304 with 13 doubles, nine home runs and 25 RBI a year ago and will again be a solid bat in the middle of the lineup. Second baseman Ashlynn Gunter (5-3, Sr., Newnan, Ga.) and shortstop Aniston Johnson (5-10, Soph., Alma, Ga.) also return with eyes on keeping their starting spots. Another returnee on the infield is Olivia Creamer (5-5, Jr., St. Johns, Fla.), who could also see time in the outfield. The group will be joined by Chattanooga transfer Courtney Ball (5-6, Soph., Macon, Ga.) and freshman Reign Williams (5-7, Fr., Buckhead, Ga.).
"Our infield has definitely come a long way," Perkins said. "Defensively, just being in the right position, and understanding their pitchers, reading the pitches going in. Anticipating, being aggressive, and not just thinking it's somebody else's ball, they all want to make the play."
The outfield has the biggest shakeup after losing three major contributors, including two-time All-Sun Belt conference center fielder Mekhia Freeman. Returners looking to step up include seniors Shelby Barfield (5-6, Sr., Pembroke, Ga.), Jess Mazur (5-10, Sr., Palatine, Ill.) and Mary Grace Howard (5-8, Sr., Kennedale, Texas), along with Ashleigh Duty (5-1, Jr., Hamilton, Ga.), Madi Banks (5-9, Soph., Warner Robins, Ga.) and Dejah Mills (5-5, Soph., Powder Springs, Ga.). The Eagles also welcome in Tennessee Tech transfer Chandler Caldwell (5-4, Grad., Suwanee, Ga.) and freshman Jacey Boykin (5-3, Fr., Valdosta, Ga.) into the mix.
"Everybody's improved in the outfield," Perkins said. "Their reads defensively have gotten better, their aggressiveness to the ball has gotten better, and everybody's throws are on point. We're fortunate because we have some speed at all three positions, but hitters at all three positions as well."
Catching will again be manned by fifth-year senior Allyssah Mullis (5-6, 5th, Juliette, Ga.) and junior Janai Conklin (5-3, Jr., Miami, Fla.), who combined to hit .260 with six home runs and a .438 slugging percentage. Georgia College transfer Sam Vinson (5-6, Jr., Jefferson, Ga.) could also see time behind the plate as well this season.
"We've worked a lot with our catchers and I think it's important for them to work well with our pitchers and with Mary Beth [Dennison, pitching coach]. I think they've gotten good at pickoffs, throwdowns, all the little parts of the game. And we're seeing more communication on cuts and relays."
As a team, the Eagles hit .269 with 37 home runs a year ago, but one problem was the high strikeout rate. Georgia Southern struck out 240 times, a 20% strikeout rate at the plate. One key for Coach Perkins this season will be to get her team to be more disciplined at the plate.
"We've not been a team that finds a way to get on base other than hitting," Perkins said. "They've really had to learn that we're going to have a plan at the plate. We're going to prepare for the opposing pitchers, do some situational hitting, and we're going to be patient at the plate, while being aggressive going after certain pitches."
The pitching staff returns three of five hurlers from last season, led by graduate student Rylee Waldrep (5-7, Grad., Oxford, Ala.), who has won 23 games in her four-year career and has started 66 of 85 contests for the Eagles in the circle. Junior Kyleigh Richardson (5-9, Jr., Stafford, Va.) and sophomore Anna Feil (5-8, Soph., Pickerington, Ohio) also return, while the Eagles have added Liberty transfer Kastin Belogorska (5-7, Jr., Eden, Ga.) to the staff for 2022.
"For me, we keep trying to preach hitting spots," Perkins said of her pitching staff. "I know that if they hit their spots, we're going to play defense. And now that we've started doing some game play, you can see that we're in a better position defensively and our pitchers are hitting their spots better."
Getting the Eagles to compete early on in the rigorous Sun Belt Conference is going to take a little something extra, as the league's coaches picked Georgia Southern to finish eighth in a preseason poll.
"We're gonna have to outscore people," Head Coach Perkins said about being competitive in the league this season. "If we can try to score every inning, have our pitchers hit their spots and play solid defense, that will keep putting pressure on the other pitchers. And if a team scores on us, we need to answer back. And find ways to get extra bases."
The Eagles host Binghamton, Radford and East Tennessee State this weekend to open up the 2022 season with the Bash in the Boro tournament. Georgia Southern's first contest will be Friday at 4 p.m. against Binghamton. Georgia Southern will also host the GATA Challenge in the second week of the season, bringing in Maine, North Dakota State and UT Martin. The home non-conference schedule also includes visits from South Carolina and North Florida, while the Eagles will host preseason No. 23 Louisiana and Texas State this season in its Sun Belt slate.
"I know in my mind, there's certain teams that I feel like we need to sweep," Perkins said. "And certain teams, we've got to take a game from them, and if we can, win that series. I think we will just keep plugging away from game to game. And if I keep seeing improvement every day - if we continue to execute, I'll be happy with this season."
