There are going to be some new faces when Washington takes the field Friday night at Riverside. The Lady Pack graduated nine seniors from last year’s team. That group was responsible for a third-round playoff appearance last season and, in 2016, the program’s first trip to the eastern-regional championship.

Gone are pitcher Hailey Harris, who split duties last season, and five of the team’s top-six batters. Defensively, those nine seniors held down the majority of the starting positions. Challenges arise in replacing the infield chemistry and the pitcher-catcher relationship.

That said, head coach Doug Whitehead’s confidence is unwavering. He’s seen plenty from the rising-varsity players that will step into greater roles this season.

“We lost nine, of course, but we have the good fortune of having a lot of girls interested,” he said. “By carrying a JV program, it gives us an opportunity to get girls playing. We have a lot of them continually playing travel ball, which makes my job easier.”

Whitehead expects Washington’s strength to come from its bats. Even with all the power it lost from Harris, Jada Lodge and Jordan Pierce — each had a pair of home runs in 2017 — there’s potential for even more power this season.

Mary B. Dixon appears to be one of the team’s most reliable at the plate. Her .484 batting average as a junior last season was good for third on the team. Her patience at the plate will set an example for the younger players rising to the varsity level. Last year, Dixon had 30 hits and drew 13 walks to only three strikeouts.

Pitcher Abbi Tucker also touted a .339 average in her freshman campaign last year.

“We have taller girls, bigger girls and stronger girls, I think, than we’ve had in the past,” Whitehead said. “We had a lot of really solid hitters off of last year’s team that graduated. We’re hitting a bunch of long balls and extra-base hits. That’s what’s impressed me so far.”

It’s a somewhat unusual circumstance. Generally, the offense takes some time to come around and the defense is stronger out of the gate. Whitehead has seen the bats alive during preseason scrimmages.

However, he’s also seen some spotty defense. He chalks that up to the team developing chemistry after losing nine players. Washington has plenty of players able to slot into different positions. Now it’s just a matter of ironing out who will go where.

“We’ve got a couple of questionable spots we’re letting girls work into,” Whitehead said. “The corners in the outfield, we’ve got to get that solidified. We’re probably working more on question marks on the right side of the infield. It’s just getting the right people in the right places.”

Settling on a consistent starting battery is one of the primary focuses of the non-conference slate. In the mean time, Tucker will be relied upon to lead the defense.

“Abbi is going to carry the majority of the load. Summer (Campbell) is going to get time in there because we’ve got three games a week,” Whitehead said. “We’re going to need a lot of pitching. We’re probably going to be throwing both all year long.”

Washington only has one home game prior to a March 13 trip to Greene Central for its 2-A Eastern Carolina Conference debut. It will be a tough test right away as the Lady Rams finished tied with South Lenoir atop the league.