By Mark Carpenter
After what has seemed like years of losing seasons, lopsided losses, and a carousel of couches, the West Union Lady Dragons softball program is looking to a fresh face to resurrect the program and return it to its winning ways. Hayleigh (Swayne) Worley,was an outstanding pitcher for Peebles High School, graduating in 2013, and then went on to a college career at Eastern Kentucky University. Worley brings to her first head coaching gig a fire and enthusiasm that is what a dormant program so desperately needs.
“For a lot of years, West Union softball was looked at as just a layup and I’m here to change the culture,” says Worley. “I’m coming into a program that hasn’t been very good and I can develop it and kind of put my own stamp on it and use my experience to create a winning environment, with lots of positive things to talk about.”
“I’ve been subbing here at West Union so I had a chance to meet a lot of the girls and we have girls that have never played softball before but they decided to try out and they made it.”
In some past years, numbers have been an issue for the Lady Dragons, with not a lot of interest in the program, but Worley thinks that perception is changing.
“We had 20 girls try out this year and we kept 15,” said the new WUHS head coach. “We have good numbers and we’re even going to play some JV games this season and I think my biggest challenge is that so many of these new girls just don’t know the basic fundamentals, they don’t know how to swing, to slide, or bunt, it baffles me.”
“This is a learning process, we’re building, not rebuilding. We are starting with the basics and working our way up, just trying to create a positive attitude where everyone wants to be here. We want to be a team, but we also want to be a family I’m really trying to develop that strict, structured, family dynamic that ensures success and gets everyone excited. When the girls are excited, the parents get on board, then the community gets behind it. We have athletic girls, we have talent, they just have a lot to learn. We have to play catch up and get them where they need to be.”
If nothing less, Worley exudes a confidence that hopefully rubs off on the entire program.
“I fully expect to set a school record for wins this season,” she said. “The record is 10 and my goal is to win more than that and win a sectional. I want to beat it this year and for every year to come. I don’t expect us to stat out on fire, but it’s going to come. We have most of our tougher games later in the season and I think by then we will be clicking as a team, the light bulb will come on.”
To go along with their inexperience, the 2021 Lady Dragons will be a young squad. The roster will include just one senior (Paige Carroll), three juniors, nine sophomores, and two freshman.
“We have two girls (Hannah Ford, Kendall Barlow) that have never played before that are just really athletic,” says Worley.
As most serious fans are aware, the key to a successful softball squad comes right in the center circle, right from the pitcher’s rubber, and this year’s West Union pitching staff is young.
“Freshman Sara Boldman will be in the circle most of the games,” says Worley. “We have two other pitchers, sophomores Payton Stapleton and Carly Leonard, who are best friends and look like twins out there on the field, always in sync. Sara can mix speeds and hit her spots and the other two throw a little bit harder but still have some mechanics to figure out.”
Perhaps just as important as the pitching staff is the receiver on the other end of those pitches, and the Lady Dragons will also boast a young catching group.
“Alexis Cruea is a junior, but she has some injury issues so she will likely go to third base, while sophomore Kenidi Williams will do some catching, but she is dealing with some shoulder issues at the moment, and we have Taylor Dozier with a great softball IQ who has that voice we need behind the plate.”
One of the major issues plaguing the West Union softball program in recent seasons is the lack of a respectable home field to play on. Just a small amount of precipitation meant numerous puddles on the field, and therefore very few home games. Hopefully, that situation will be changing.
“I remember back in 2013 the pitcher’s mound was insanely dangerous, and I told my husband when I took this job was that one of our first tasks was to make this field safe again,” said Worley. “We started last September packing dirt on it, letting it sit, and just trying to recondition the field all the way around. You wouldn’t recognize our field now . After some rain, we can go out there, rake it off, and still be safe to play. It’s a work in progress. We had a shed donated to us to store our equipment and our girls raised $13,000 by selling banners, working concession stands, and getting donations. We bought a new scoreboard, we have new uniforms, and a lot of new equipment for each player. We’ll be the best-looking team on the field for sure.
“Talent wise, we may not be the best, my goal is to be aggressive on the base paths, play small ball, and get better every day. We may play the same nine every day, we may play a different nine, I just don’t know yet but we will be competitive.”
