ST. PAULS — The St. Pauls softball team is relatively inexperienced, but head coach Phillip Tyler believes the Lady Rams are dedicated to improving as a team.
“The last couple year, some of them played together with travel ball and our summer program we have with the county, so that’s helped us out with kids buying in to wanting to get better,” Tyler said.
Returning in the circle for the Lady Bulldogs is sophomore Brianna Brewer, who earned all-county honors last season after registering seven wins with 103 strikeouts in 94 innings for the Lady Bulldogs.
Brewer also batted .411 and tallied a team-high 23 hits last year.
“It helps tremendously, having a good pitcher,” Tyler said.
Meagan Butler, Danielle Gray and Kaitlyn Locklear are beginning their senior campaigns with the Lady Bulldogs.
“This year is bright for us because we’ve got a bunch of upcoming players. With the experienced players, we mash together a lot and play together as a team,” Butler said.
“We come out playing hard every time, so I think we’re going to have a good season,” Locklear said.
Defense has been a main point of emphasis for the Lady Bulldogs early in the season.
“Like I tell them, defense is the main thing we have to capitalize on. That’s what they’re trying to buy in on,” Tyler said. “We hit the ball pretty good. The main thing is getting the correct fundamentals in order to play the game the right way.”
Butler said one of the team’s biggest strengths is having a collective attitude that is strong enough to handle various forms of adversity.
“Even though we get angry sometimes, we always find a way to make it fun,” she said. “We pick each other and laugh. We’re a goofy team. We never get down on each other.”
Locklear referred to the team as a “family”.
The Lady Bulldogs finished 7-15 last season, including a 3-11 record in the Three Rivers Conference.
“We’re a young team. We only have three seniors, but these kids have played together,” Tyler said.
Baseball puts together pieces after departures
Despite losing two of it best players as well as a talented senior class from last season, the St. Pauls baseball team is ready to build off last year’s run to the third round of the state playoffs.
J.J. Oxendine graduated after earning county Player of the Year honors, and pitcher Jeremiah Locklear transferred to Purnell Swett after a stellar rookie season with the Bulldogs.
Oxendine was the team’s biggest weapon in all aspects of the game. He posted a batting average of .307 last season with 24 runs scored and 21 RBIs.
On the mound, Oxendine registered a 7-1 record and 0.55 ERA in nine appearances. He also tallied 52 strikeouts.
Locklear finished with a record of 7-2 to go along with a 1.21 ERA and 59 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs also lost Ted McNeill and Dawson Caulder to graduation. Both saw significant time on the mound for the Bulldogs.
Trevan Locklear, a utility player for St. Pauls last season, is no longer with the team.
Senior Aaron Revels will take on a big role at the plate and on the mound as part of a roster that lacks varsity experience.
The team is also under new leadership with the departure of head coach Kelly Chavis after last season. Athletic Director Matthew Hunt took over the role on an interim basis.
The Bulldogs finished 21-5 last season, shutting out Northeastern and Currituck County in the first two rounds of the playoffs before losing 3-1 to North Lenoir.
