Ozark alum Troy McPherson takes over as the head coach of the Sparta softball program this season. He will be looking to turn around a program that hasn’t reached the 10-win plateau since 2016.
Three all-conference players in Alyssa Diers (junior), Cassidy Watts (senior) and Maggie Brown (junior) return for the Lady Trojans.
Diers was a first-team all-conference selection as a utility player last year. She is the full time pitcher for the Lady Trojans, which is not her natural position.
“She is not a pitcher by trade, but has stepped up in that role to support the team,” McPherson said. “She’s great on the mound, but she really shines at the plate. She hit to the tune of a ridiculous .604 batting average and a .656 OBP (on-base percentage) with 19 RBI. We look for her to fill the three-hole in our lineup and hope she can repeat the success she showed in her sophomore campaign. We also look for her to take a role as a team leader moving into her upperclassman seasons.”
Brown, a second-team all-conference infielder last season, will help out in the circle after starting six games last year. She was previously a third baseman, but will see time at shortstop and catcher. The junior hit .457 with a.609 on-base percentage last year with 24 RBI.
“Maggie has shown leadership with her on-field ability and we hope to see her develop into a more vocal team leader as she moves to an upperclassman status,” McPherson said.
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Watts, who was a second-team all-conference catcher last season, will split time between catcher and infield to save her legs. The senior is Sparta’s most lethal offensive weapon. She hit .531 last year with a .625 on-base percentage. Her power numbers were strong with a home run, four triples, five doubles and 19 RBI. She was also a terror on the base paths with 32 stolen bases in 33 attempts, which came out to an average of more than two steals per game.
“She has been a consistent team leader with her play in the previous two seasons. We look for her to take a more vocal leadership role in her final season,” McPherson said.
Junior Kacey Pearman and freshman Aysha Fulton will contribute on the infield as well.
The outfield will be headlined by a pair of returning starters in seniors Victoria Asebedo and Kerina Luttrull.
“Victoria and Kerina are without a doubt the life-blood of our team. They’re our primary vocal leaders and they set the tone with their attitude and personalities, and boy do they have some big personalities,” McPherson said. “Along with being tremendous vocal leaders, these girls are also very talented on the diamond. We look for both of these girls to have a tremendous amount of success in their final season in the program.”
Asebedo (.319 batting average) and Luttrull (.354 batting average) combined for 19 RBI last season.
The offense will be a strength for the Lady Trojans.
“This team can hit. Last season we averaged roughly 11 runs per game, and look to do more of the same this season,” McPherson said. “We will have solid offensive talent from the top of the order to the bottom. There are no easy outs on our team. These girls make solid contact against any pitcher they face and always seem to find holes. We also take pride in being excellent on the base paths. We take pride in our brand of small-ball and always work to capitalize on every inch our opponents give us. We tend to be on the side of over-aggressive on the bases and it suits our team well. We will get out and run and take the extra base every chance that we get, regardless of our opponent. We are an unselfish team that plays the team game well and we look to perfect it this season.”
McPherson will look for consistency on defense and pitching.
“To live up to the potential that this team has, it is important that we get more consistent defensive play from our team. In previous seasons, we have given up too many free bases on physical and mental errors, and it has shown in our record,” McPherson said. “The area where we need to improve the most is in the pitching circle. If our pitching staff can throw strikes and cut down on the amount of free bases we surrender, it will keep us in more games. Last season we also had a knack for getting off to strong starts in games, but struggled to close them out. We’re hopeful that with solid pitching performances and more consistency in the late innings we will become a team that will be able to compete with any team in our district.”
Overall, McPherson wants to see his team raise the standard for Sparta softball.
“I won’t measure our success in wins and losses, but rather in our ability to compete and set a standard for Sparta Softball moving forward. If we win the games we should win and steal a few that we probably shouldn’t win, it’ll be a great year,” McPherson said.
Sparta opens the season on Mar. 18 at home against Seymour.
