PREP UPDATE: ACA softball fighting though slow start; Lowndes baseball defeats Crenshaw

Alabama Christian Academy softball coach Meagan Whisenant is working through issues with the Eagles this season. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Meagan Whisenant knew little about Alabama Christian Academy’s softball program when she took the job as the Eagles’ head coach. She knew even less about the condition of the program after two years of struggling with underclassmen.

“It’s the mindset,” she said. “We have tried to discuss mindset with them. Girls are a little harder to explain mindset with. They’re comfortable with losing. As a coach, you see them in the dugout and we’re losing and they’re struggling to maintain focus. At the plate, it’s just another at-bat. The mindset is where we’re really struggling.”

Their record (3-10) might not indicate it, but ACA’s program has improved in every facet since Whisenant took over the program in January. The Eagles are still losing more games than they’re winning, but they’re closing the gap and taking strides each week.

“It has made it challenging and enjoyable at the same time,” Whisenant said. “To be able to teach them the game because there are so many girls that don’t understand certain aspects of it. Instead of going out there and assuming that they know, you take the time and explain certain things and they acquire that understanding. And it’s helped them to gain more knowledge of the game and it’s really helped us overall.”

 Alabama Christian Academy has struggled to get back to its normal position as one of the best softball programs in the state. When Chris Goodman retired at the end of the 2021 season after a fourth-place finish in the state tournament, boosters knew they were in for a rebuilding stretch but they had no idea it would be involve three coaches, two losing seasons and no trips to the state tournament.   

ACA has more state tournament appearances (23) and more wins (80) than any team in Alabama High School Athletic Association history. Going two years without a trip to the state tournament is not only unacceptable, it’s unprecedented.

After two years of reaching the regional finals, Lauren Webster Veach resigned as head coach. Her replacement, Mars Hill Bible coach Mollie Lowry, accepted the job and spent almost a month on campus before resigning in late July and returning to Florence. School officials searched for a replacement in August and were lucky to discover an available candidate in Whisenant, a former player at Hayden who coached at Pell City for a year and for three years at Wildwood (Fla.) High as athletic director and softball coach.

“A church (East Tallassee Church of Christ) had requested my husband (Mike) come up here and be a minister,” Whisenant said. “I continued to receive phone calls about this position being open. I started to discuss with Mr. (Greg) Glenn and Aaron Greenwood about the position being open and here I am.”

What she discovered was a team that had gained some experience the last two years, but not much confidence. Of its three seniors, one (Annabelle Pugh) missed a season with an injury and another (Anna Prempramot) gave up softball a couple of years ago before returning this season. That left outfielder A.G. Blackburn as the most experienced of the group.

A strong junior class that includes pitchers Izzy Warrick and Maddie Traywick, outfielder Lily Sconyers and Sydney Jones, along with sophomores Anna Gleason, Chloe Childs, Campbell Hammett and Elizabeth Hall provided some promise.

“I have two pitchers who pitch about the same,” Whisenant said. “I have another who’s in the ninth grade, Maddie Owens, who is slower but that’s a huge advantage.

“They enjoy the game and we do have some talent but for the most part we have two eighth graders in the varsity program (because of a lack of depth). I kept everybody that came out for softball. I gave them all an opportunity to show me because I was new here.”

There are times, when Warrick or Traywick is in the circle, when ACA looks as if it could contend for a berth in the state tournament. But on offense, the defining element of a championship contender, Whisenant is still searching for the right group of battlers at the plate.

The pitching is good enough and the defense isn’t bad, but for ACA to reach the state tournament, its offense has to be confident and aggressive, two elements that have been missing for quite some time.

 “We still have a lot of ground to cover,” Whisenant said. “They can take reps all day long, but it’s the quality of the reps. Taking 200 reps and doing the same thing mechanically wrong in all 200 is very difficult. I’m hoping the girls are starting to understand the difference in that.

“Having to take that and redefine their hitting has become a challenge because offensively we are struggling. Our lineup, because we have so many girls, we’ve gotten to play with it a lot more this year. I’m all about opportunities.”

The experimentation is over. Five Area 6 games over the next three weeks will determine the Eagles’ seeding in the area tournament and one tournament win can send them back to the regional at Lagoon Park.

“I like working with competitive kids, girls that still need to learn certain aspects of the game and that don’t fully understand what it takes to get to the next level so that we can help them get there if that’s their goal,” Whisenant said. “And if they don’t, if they’re here to play and just enjoy that they get to be a part of a program like this and get to be a good teammate, I’m all for it.”

BASEBALL

Lowndes Academy 7, Crenshaw Christian 1

LUVERNE -- Ashton Yelder scattered five hits and allowed one run, none earned, while striking out five to lead the Rebels to a 10-5 win at Crenshaw Christian Academy on Tuesday.

Yelder also went 2 for 4 at the plate. Jase Howard went 2 for 3, scored a pair of runs and drove in a run and Bradyn Stokes went 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Clayton Hussey and Dominic Dougan also had RBIs for the Rebels.

J.B. Williams went 2 for 3 to lead the Cougars. 

Lowndes Academy 4, Crenshaw Christian Academy 2

LOWNDESBORO -- Ashton Yelder hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added another RBI in the second to proptel the Rebels to a 4-2 win over Crenshaw Christian on Monday.

Yelder went 1 for 2 with Dominic Dougan and Bradyn Stokes providing the other two hits for the Rebels.

Brayden Moore went 2 for 4 to lead the Cougars. Preston Eddins allowed four runs, two earned, in the first inning before J.B. Williams came on in a masterful relief performance, holding the Rebels to just one hit over the final five innings.

Cooper Dansby picked up the win for Lowndes with a complete-game performance, allowing six hits and two runs, none earned, while walking one and striking out six.

BOYS SOCCER

Montgomery Academy 3, Pike Road 2

The Eagles got off to a slow start but put together enough offense to pull out a 3-2 win over the Patriots at McLemore Field on Tuesday, clinching the 6A Area 4 regular season title.

Win Berry scored the Eagles’ first goal with an assist from Jacob Stubblefield. After a Luis Rubio goal, it was Stubblefield’s turn to score a goal with an assist from Brewer Welch. 

Montgomery Academy improved to 4-0 in area play with the win, sweeping the season series from the Patriots.

Montgomery Academy (6-3) will play Trinity on Thursday. 

Tuscaloosa Academy 7, Prattville Christian 1

PRATTVILLE -- Cade Segars scored the lone goal for the Panthers as Prattville Christian dropped its area opener to Tuscaloosa Academy on Tuesday at Panther Stadium.

PCA (1-7) will travel to Tuscaloosa to play an area game with Holy Spirit on Friday.

GIRLS SOCCER

Tuscaloosa Academy 4, Prattville Christian 2

PRATTVILLE -- Avery Rogers and Anabelle Weedon each scored a goal and Bella Carothers and Addison Sutton each had an assist in Prattville Christian’s area loss to Tuscaloosa Academy at Panthers Stadium on Tuesday night. 

Tuesday’s game was the area opener for the Panthers.

PCA (1-7) will travel to Tuscaloosa to play an area game with Holy Spirit on Friday.

St. James 10, Stanhope Elmore 0

Sana Shuford recorded her first two goals of the season along with an assist for a very complete game for the Trojans while anchoring the center of the midfield defensively.  

Mary Grace Hixon also scored two goals and had two assists from her attacking midfield role.  

Katie Brightwell recorded the other six goals, giving her 217 for her career and moving her into third place all time in Alabama High School Athletic Association history. The senior is just eight goals behind Montgomery Academy’s Tara Katz and 15 behind the AHSAA all-time leader, Jordan Richmond.

Natalie Barton and Hope McCain both recorded three assists, along with Ragan King providing an assist.    

Hannah McCain once again led the backline, keeping the defense organized throughout the game while Katie Irving recorded the shutout for her fifth of the season.

St. James (7-0-1) returns to action on Thursday in Dothan against Houston Academy.

GIRLS TENNIS

Auburn 6, Montgomery Academy 3

Gabby Barrera and Mae Voltz accounted for all of the points the Eagles would score in a home match with Auburn as the Tigers pulled out a 6-3 win at McLemore Tennis Center on Tuesday.

Barrera won at No. 1 singles, Voltz won at No. 2 singles and the pair teamed up at No. 1 doubles to clinch a top seed in the upcoming section tournament later this month.  

In singles, Auburn’s Naomi Hanks defeated Lola Campbell at No. 3, Kathryn Kirkland defeated Marianna Lassner at No. 4, Shreya Ejantkar beat Mary Surhea White at No. 5 and Jenny Park defeated Alyssa Kaplan at No. 6.

In doubles, Sophie Smith and Victoria Choo defeated Campbell and White at No. 2 and Hanks-Ejantkar beat Lassner-Kaplan at No. 3.

SOFTBALL

St. James 4, Alabama Christian 1

Emily Needham pitched a four hitter and the Trojans scored a run in each of the last two innings to pull away for a 3A Area 6 victory over Alabama Christian at Denise Ainsworth Field on Monday afternoon.

St. James scored a run in the first inning and another in the third, but were leading 2-1 heading into the sixth inning before scoring a pair of insurance runs.

Needham went the distance, allowing just one run while walking two and striking out 10 to win her pitching duel with Izzy Warrick. Warrick also pitched a complete game, allowing four runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out seven.

Warrick had the Eagles’ only RBI, going 1 for 4 at the plate. A Blackburn went 2 for 3 with a double, while Campbell Hammett went 1 for 3 and scored a run.

For the Trojans, Kaitlin Hudson went 2 for 4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored, Sydney Johnston went 1 for 4 with an RBI, Tat Shuford went 1 for 3 with a double and scored a run, Mary Olive Maddox went 1 for 2 with an RBI and Lily Stanford went 2 for 3 with a double and scored a run.

BOYS GOLF

Montgomery Academy wins Pike Liberal Arts tournament

TROY -- The Montgomery Academy recorded a 293 to beat Pike Liberal Arts by one stroke and win a 12-team golf tournament at the Troy Country Club on Monday.

The low medalists for Montgomery Academy were Thomas Floyd and Jackson McIntyre as both shot a one-under 71. William Hall was third among the Eagles with a 75, followed by Connor Evans with a 76. Mac Freem shot a 77 and John Carson Bullard shot an 84.