Lady Bulldogs look to build on last year’s success

For the Enquirer

Coach: Matthew Morris

Marquee games (nonarea): Austin, Grissom, Florence, James Clemens, Danville, West Morgan

Area: Class 5A Area 16

Area opponents: Ardmore, Brewer, East Limestone

2024 record/finish: 32-15

Returning starters: Elizabeth Murphy, Kelsey Green, Darby Thigpen, Madison Lafountain, Bailey Smyth

Newcomers: Peyton Goss, Baxley Black

College commit: Murphy – Blue Mountain Christian College

Storylines: How do the Lady Bulldogs replace a senior class that led them to 32 wins and an area championship last season? How do they adapt to stepping up to Class 5A and into one of the stronger areas in the state? Can pitching keep them in games until the offense gains valuable experience?

Who do you expect to have a big year? I expect our junior pitchers, Murphy and Green, to have big years for us. They both have won a lot of games for us over the last couple of years and now it is their turn to be an ace.

Quoting coach: “We are stepping up in classification and into a very good area, so it will be a challenge. We also are replacing five multi-year starters, so we have to grow up fast.” What do the Lady Bulldogs need to do to be successful? We need our pitching to lead us until our offense can catch up.

Area outlook: Ardmore and Brewer are both really good teams in 5A and they are both in our area. We don’t really know much about East Limestone.