It’s going to be a quick transition for Southside when it travels to Kinston to open the 2017 softball season. Many of the Lady Seahawks just finished the basketball season with Tuesday’s first-round loss at Princeton.

Those girls and coach Milton Ruffin didn’t get much time to relax before shifting focus to softball. They get some time to practice, but won’t scrimmage prior to Tuesday’s season opener.

Expectations are loftier this time around. The team’s core has another year of experience under its belt. Only two players graduated from last year’s team. With the infield and the pitcher-catcher duo of sophomores Alyssa McLawhorn and Maggie Craig back, the Lady Seahawks are hoping they can hit the ground running.

Here is what Ruffin had to say prior to the first pitch of the campaign.

 

How high the expectations are this year:

“The expectations have to be high. It’s time to move up to the next level. These are seasoned players, so the expectations are really high for them. They’ve got to go where they need to be, and they need to work hard to get there.”

 

What are the benefits of returning a pitcher-catcher duo:

“That’s a big step right there. If I have good pitching and good catching, that will put us in a good place. We also have a strong first baseman, second baseman, shortstop and third. I’m going to have to work on my outfield, get my outfield good, but my infield now is in pretty good standing.”

 

What improvements he wants to see on the offensive end:

“We talked about hitting the batting cage a little bit more than we did last year. We left a lot of runners on base last year, so a lot of emphasis this year is hitting the batting cage and tee more off.”

 

How hard it is to immediately shift from basketball to softball:

“Well, I gave most of them (Wednesday) off, so (Thursday was) their first time going out there. What we’ll do is work them hard, get in shape, take their time doing some fielding and doing some batting. Our first game will be Tuesday, so we’ll try not to push them too hard. Next week we’ll go hard.”

 

Whether it’s tough for him to switch from coaching basketball to softball:

“I hit the refresh button. I took a day off softball. I’ve got softball on my mind, and I’m ready to go. I had to digest that (first-round playoff) game, so I took off (Wednesday). I’m ready now. I’m refreshed and ready to go.”

 

What he wants to see Tuesday at Kinston:

“Like I said, they’re seasoned players. I expect them to make the basic play, the fundamental plays. They know the game, so they kind of make it easier for us right now. Right now, it’s just getting the rust off.”

 

How he expects the Lady Seahawks to stack up in the 1-A Coastal Plains:

“East Carteret is probably one of the top teams. It always is. Northside has good pitching, so I think they’ll be up there, too. Measuring our team with them, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be right there with them.”