Debs, Belles and Ponytails are hitting the road
Published 5:02 pm Wednesday, June 23, 2010
While two of Greenville’s all-star softball squads are gearing up for Friday’s sub-district, three more are preparing to hit the road.
It’s off to Luverne for the 11 and 12-year-old Ponytails and the 15 and under Belles.
Tyrone Bedgood, coach of the Ponytails, said his girls have been preparing as much as the weather has allowed.
“The girls are ready, and they are playing hard,” Bedgood said.
Bedgood has been working on getting the group to function more as a unit.
“I want everyone to be backing each other up,” Bedgood said. “If one player messes up, some one else needs to slide in to back them up.”
While Belles coach Leon Truitt said he too is working on playing as a team, he said he is going to rely on the arms of his girls to carry him through.
“Anytime you go into All-Star competition, you need good pitchers,” Truitt said. “If we can get some good pitching going on and hit the ball, we are halfway there.”
Due to a shortage of teams in the district, there were no sub-districts for the Dixie Debs. The Debs will compete at state in Midland City July 16.
Coach Dewayne Ballard said, however, that he had no doubt they could have made it through sub-districts, had they been held.
“We probably have one of the best Deb teams I have ever seen,” Ballard said. “We should do well if I do a decent job coaching.”
The Debs are built from some of the best starting players from Evergreen, Fort Dale and Greenville, Ballard explained. This, he said, brings a new set of challenges.
“Some of these girls who are used to starting every game might not start at all,” Ballard said.
Here are the full team rosters, courtesy of the Greenville Parks and Recreation Department:
Dixie Ponytails – 11-12-year-old girls
Amber Bedgood
Lindey Gidson
Destinee Thomas
Madison Langford
Caitlyn Brooks
Anjoy Castleberry
Savannah Mauch
Jessica Joyner
Hannah Reaves
Summer Bucciarelli
Sarah Phillips
Coaches: Tyrone Bedgood
S.W.A.T: MVP, Amber Albritton; Sportmanship Award, Oliver Foster. Rebels: MVP, Carmin Till and Caitlyn Brooks; Sportsmanship Award, Hannah Reeves. Dynamic Divaz: MVP, Jessica Joyner; Sportsmanship Award, Hannah Reeves.
Dixie Belles – 15 and under
Kayla Gandy
Sierra Salter
Chasity Elliott
A.J. Sanford
Keonna Brown
Ashley Ballard
Bethany Nolan
Kristin Lassiter
Alexandra Courtney
Whitney Boswell
Keisha Rice
Alisha Stewart
Coaches: Leon Truitt and Katrina Bowen
Dixie Debs – 18 and under
Amerisha Mixon
Telesha McDonald
Kodi Wengert
Flomekia Williams
LaKarresa Riley
Cortnee Myers
Aleshia Stucky
Kendra Williams
Nicole Norton
Anna Nelson
Jennifer Ballard
Erin Taylor
Coaches: Dewayne Ballard and Neal Nelson.