By Sophia Riedi
The Buchholz High School softball team is sitting at 7-3 so far this season.
Their latest win comes from a wild 10-9 finish on Tuesday night against the Bradford (Starke) Tornadoes.
“I really like our team coming up to the start of the season,” stated coach Michael Whelan.
He said that “[the team is] extremely young and [has] a lot of raw talent.”
There are only three seniors on this year’s team. Among them is returning starter and captain Jadyn Goston, who has 11 hits, 11 runs, and 11 RBIs through 10 games this season.
“I have high expectations with a serious hard schedule in preparation for districts,” said Whelan.
Key games to look for include North Marion (March 30), Trinity Catholic (March 31), and Gainesville High (April 6).
In terms of this season, Whelan said the “biggest thing for a productive season is to build that confidence in each other, learn as we go, [limiting] making the same mistake twice.”
The Bobcats softball team will be on the “The Prep Zone” Sports Show presented by Sonic Drive-In on Wednesday, March 17, from 7-8 p.m. Be sure to listen in (on 106.9 FM or IamCountryRadio.com) to hear from Coach Whelan and the Buchholz players.
2021 Preseason Softball Outlook
Coach’s name: Michael Whelan
Years as head coach: 4th Year
2021 Class/District/Region: 6A District 2
2020 Overall Record: 3-5
Number of returning starters: 6
Sr. – #5 Jadyn Goston (SS) 8 GP, .320 Avg, 8 Hits and 7 Runs
Jr. – #29 Paige Tibbetts (1B) 8 GP .385 avg 10 Hits, with 5 HRs & 11 RBIs
Jr. – #9 Bailey Quire (P/1B) 7 GP, .533 avg, 8 hits and 2 RBIs
Jr. – #8 Tione Akins (OF) 8 GP, .357 avg, .471 obp with 5 hits
So. – #7 Oliva McDaniel (UTL/P) 8 GP, 3 SB, 4 Hits & 4 RBIs
So. – #77 Lindsey Orton (C) 7 GP; .304 AVG, 7 Hits, 5 RBIs and 4 CS
Other players to watch:
Mia Zheng (Sr., INF), Mary Elise Brady (Jr., 3B/P), Jenjah Collins (Jr., Utl), Kayla Hooper (So., C/INF), Lauren Baltozer (Fr., 1B), Amay Torres (Fr., UTL)
Key losses:
P/SS – Erica Lewis – Playing at D2 – Johnson & Smith University in NC
Lily & Lucy Orton – Both elected not to play at the next level (Lily at USF & Lucy at Sante Fe)
Key games: GHS – 4/6, Trinity Catholic – 3/31, North Marion – 3/30 – Games are normally close & competitive (out of conference/county Rival)
Outlook for 2021: “We have a lot of speed all over our lineup with a good sprinkle of big bats in the middle. We just could not all get on the field for the start of the 2020 season for us to use it a building block for this year. We need to stay healthy, and get all key players be on the field together for us to compete. We are expecting some talented Freshman to get come in on some big and expect them to produce right away.” – Coach Michael Whelan
