Hoping to make history

By Josh Bowe

Special to the News-Mirror

For Legacy softball, talent isn’t a question.

The Lady Broncos boast perhaps the best trio of players in the area in pitcher Kendall Potts, infielder Briana Walker and outfielder Brittany Walker.

Potts dominated in the pitchers circle last season, sporting an ERA below one with 139 strikeouts. The Walkers handled the offense, with Briana being a terror at the leadoff spot and Brittany producing in the third spot.

Even with those three and the rest of the talented squad, Legacy couldn’t get past the second round of the playoffs last year. All three players return, and coach Michelle Mayfield knows they have one goal: make history.

“They want go out on top,” Mayfield said of her eight seniors. “They want to make history here at Legacy and that’s going to state.”

Legacy started its state-tournament run with some preseason tournaments to begin the season. For this season, Mayfield said there’s just one thing she’s focused on.

“We’ve got to be a team,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s high school, college or pro, if you don't play together as a team and you’re not buying into team concept and goals, then it can cause problems.

“That’s the one thing we’ve always been missing. We’ve had tons of talent come through here. That’s the big thing we’re really focused on.”

It helps that there’s a good amount of returning talent for this year’s squad. Mayfield said she told her seniors before the season started about how important they were going to be in helping out the younger players.

It all ties into the team concept that Mayfield really wants to get across this season.

“I always tell my seniors, ‘Y’all are my assistant coaches,’” she said. “They know my expectations and know what to expect. They are about holding the younger players accountable and making sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do.”

On the field, Potts is at the forefront of any possible success that Legacy can have. Mayfield acknowledged that every great softball team in this area is usually backed by dominant ace pitcher.

Mayfield said she has one in Potts, who she said continues to get better every day.

“She’s definitely a dominant pitcher,” Mayfield said. “She’s got the velocity, she’s got the movement and most of all she’s got the mentality. She’s really bought in and wanted to be successful.”

It helps that Potts is a year older. Now a junior, Mayfield said the experience she gained from her sophomore season will be invaluable.

“Last year as a sophomore she only had one playoff game under her belt,” she said. “I think she’s intent on really dominating this year and taking her team a little farther and reaching the goals.”

The Walkers will once again back up Potts on defense. Mayfield said she wishes she could keep the sisters together at Legacy just a bit longer. But regardless, she knows both Briana and Brittany will have great senior seasons.

“[Briana’s] in the leadoff spot and it’s great to have her speed,” Mayfield said. “She’s so fast. Most teams can't stop her.

“[Brittany] is in the three-hole and she gets base hits when we need them. Everyone else we have around them helps and supports that.”

Mayfield is encouraged by the early results so far this season. She thinks her Lady Broncos will have learned from last year’s disappointment to push them farther.

“I think the kids know that we’ve got what it takes,” she said. “They’ve learned from some of the mistakes we've made in the past. When we get to where we need to be in the playoffs, we have to remain a team and remember why we’re there. We have to stay together and keep that focus.”

Keeping the focus will be one of Mayfield’s biggest challenges this season. She said it was a long off-season and the grinding schedule for this season makes it all the tougher to remain focused and sharp.

“It’s tough in softball; we start in January, playoffs don't start until mid-April, then it’s a six-week process to get to state,” she said. “It’s long and tough and we have to keep them focused. That’s the key making sure they don't stray.”

Mayfield said it’s even harder when dealing with the seniors who have a lot of things going on outside of softball.

“Especially the seniors, they’re thinking college and thinking about prom,” Mayfield said. “We’ve got to keep them reined in. This is our goal.

“Maybe in the past, we’ve either gotten tired or lost focus. I think hopefully this year with the chemistry, we have a great shot of going farther.”

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