This Northside team is not like the one that trudged all the way to the fourth round of the 1-A state playoffs a year ago. Mackensi Swain, Kendall Alligood, Quortasia Clark and Mariah Stanley combined for 14 of the team’s 18 home runs in that 24-game campaign.

Their graduation leaves the Lady Panthers with nowhere near as much power at the plate. Between that and Gil Robbins taking the reins as head coach, the team is forced to retool its offense.

The focus is now a smaller game — put the bat on the ball and force the opposition to make a play. From there, the Lady Panthers are aggressive on the bases. They’re 7-for-7 on stolen-base attempts.

The results have spoken volumes thus far. Northside is 2-0 in this young season. Its batters have scored 27 runs on 27 hits. The defense, meanwhile, has been stout. It conceded four runs at South Creek in its first game of the season. The Lady Panthers blanked Columbia in their last time out.

Northside kicks off a series of three games in as many days on Wednesday when it hosts South Creek. From there, the Lady Panthers travel to Washington on Thursday and come home for their 1-A Coastal Plains Conference opener against Lejeune.

Here’s what Robbins had to say about the season.

 

How the offensive approach has changed:

“We will rely more on base speed and base management. We’ve been working on speed. … We’ve got a couple of players that we think have some ability to do some short stuff inside the infield. That’s the game that we’re going to have to switch over to. We can’t rely on the long balls. I think we can get one every once in a while, but it’s not going to be our game.”

 

What the chemistry is like between catcher Tiffany Oliver and the pitchers:

“It’s really good. They talk a lot. In fact, as far as our signs and stuff, they work it out between them. I simply deliver it to my catcher, and she takes care of business from there. I think there is a confidence in their ability between the two of them.”

 

What the transition to softball has been like for him:

“Interesting. After almost 20 years of baseball, to wind up with the ladies has been interesting. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been fun. The work ethic has been everything. It hasn’t been lacking at all, particularly with the upperclassmen. I’ve been thrilled with it. The positive attitudes, it’s been really fun. It’s a new challenge for me.”

 

Why the expectations haven’t changed for the Lady Panthers:

“I believe that this team has the ability. From a coaching perspective, there’s stuff I can contribute and there’s stuff they can contribute. … I feel like, from watching them, that these are girls that can do it. It’s going to be interesting to see how it comes together.”