By Mark Carpenter
The last time we saw the Peebles Lady Indians softball squad in action that counted, it really counted. Still technically the defending Division IV regional champions, the last outing for the Lady Indians was a heartbreaking 1-0 state semi-final loss to Antwerp in 2019, and after the lost season of 2020, Coach Doug McFarland’s team is back to defend, but with a whole new bunch of faces.
“Honestly, the biggest effect we are going to see is the fact that not getting playing time or experience on the field, we have a lot of freshmen and sophomores this year that really needed time on the field last spring,” says Coach McFarland. “The main effect may also be that fact that Lanie (Johnston) didn’t get to pitch. She is coming in as our main pitcher this season and as a freshman in 2019, only threw five innings. She really needed that time last spring.”
The battery for the Lady Indians will have a whole new look this spring, beginning with Johnston in the center circle and senior Kyndell Lloyd handling most of the catching duties. They replace the 2019 combination of Madison Pierce and Kylie Sims, two of the best to ever wear the Lady Indian uniform.
“Pitching and catching will be really important for us this year,” said McFarland. “Both Lanie and Kyndell have some experience at their positions but the time loss from last spring will be a big factor. Hopefully Lanie will be able to come out and throw strikes and challenge hitters and hopefully we’ll get Kyndell worked back into the catching position. It’s been almost four years since she’s been behind the plate and it may be a tough transition back at first but I expect both girls to work hard and be successful. Somewhere we will also try to get some pitching innings for Baylie Johnston and Lily McFarland.”
Inexperience will cover the field this spring for the Lady Indians, with likely five girls on the field who have never competed in a high school softball game.
“We look for our new girls to come in and play well alongside our returning players,” added Coach McFarland. “Hopefully, they will compliment each other and we will improve every game. We hope they will all be up to the challenge. If the kids that haven’t been out there for awhile can go out and just do the fundamental things, that will be a big plus for us. We really just need to get on the field and play. With that being said, we will really heavily on Kyndell and Lanie, plus Marisa Moore, Avery Storer, and Emmi Nichols to be our returning anchors.”
“With two years off the field, I expect we will have some weaknesses as the season begins, but if our girls work hard we will turn those into strengths.”
Even with the lack of experience on the field, the Lady Indians will still play a demanding schedule, beginning with a March 27 trip to Rock Hill for the Queen of the Hill Tournament. Peebles will also have non-conference battles with Southeastern, Western Latham, Paint Valley, Hillsboro, and Eastern Pike, along with what has become an annual trip to Akron.
“Being young and inexperienced, the schedule will be challenging all the way through,” said Coach McFarland. “I also think our schedule will allow us the opportunity to get better and grab a lot of experience as well as wins. The Southern Hills Athletic Conference competition will be tough as always. With the kids in the conference knowing each other so well, they always put extra emphasis on those games, which makes those contests fun and exciting to watch.”
“For us to be successful, we have to stay healthy and keep improving every day. Our pitchers need to move the ball efficiently and we have to play solid defense behind them, put the ball in play offensively and pressure defenses to make mistakes. Most importantly for the girls to be successful we have to enjoy what we’re doing, have a good attitude, and give 100% effort. Hopefully that gets us to where we need to be by tournament time.”
