Speed has Jones County softball season headed in right direction

Ask Jones County softball head coach Blake Lyons to describe his team, and there’s a good chance you will get a simple yet emphatic response: Fast.

That speed has helped produced a 13-5 record, and in 11 of the wins, the Greyhounds have seven or more runs. More impressive is that they produce tons of runs despite only hitting four home runs.

“We have some speed.” Lyons said when asked about his team’s ability to manufacture runs. “We’re not afraid to bunt and run, steal some bases, do some suicides and sacrifices. We try to create with what we have.”

What Jones County has is a young team that while talented spent the first part of the season trying to figure out who it is.

“We really didn’t have an identity as far as who we are and where we were playing,” Lyons said, discussing those early struggles. “On any given day, I’m starting one senior in the infield and two in the outfield.”

As a result, four of the team’s five losses were in their region and forced the Greyhounds into a place where they needed region wins in bunches. They have responded winning 10 of their past 12 games, including the last three by a combined score of 35-7.

The identity that has emerged is one that embraces the new age of softball. The Greyhounds’ offense is paced by three speedsters — senior Sydney Lanford, junior Mayson Watford and sophomore Madison Bennett — who all have more than 10 stolen bases and more than 50 runs scored combined. Driving those runs in has fallen at the feet of sophomore Mackenzie Kilpatrick, who has used timely hitting to collect 17 RBI.

“The game has changed,” Lyons said. “Back when the pitching distance was 45, it was more about pitching and defense. When you’re playing these top tier teams, it’s about situational hitting and situational execution. If we can get the key hits, I think our pitching and defense should take care of itself.”

That defense is led by catcher and three-year starter senior Kaylin Curry, who has been a wall behind the plate and a deterrent for would-be baserunners.

“Defensively, there’s never been a question about what she can do but she’s throwing a lot of baserunners out,” Lyons said.

A surprise this year has been the pitching of Savannah Williams. The sophomore played junior varsity last year and entering the season was not expected to be a major factor. But her ability to pound the strike zone has made her invaluable to the team this season.

She sports an 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with a 1.33 ERA.

“We can defend ground balls and fly balls; we can’t defend walks and hit batsmen,” Lyons said about Williams’ ability to throw strikes.

Still, the team is having to overcome its early GHSA Region 4-5A losses.

“In order for us to get out (of the region), we’ve gotta win all our region games from here on out and just let the chips fall where they are,” Lyons said. 　

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Speed has Jones County softball season headed in right direction."