SEASON PREVIEW
Lady Cavs look to do more than defend title
March 4, 2005

WISE, VA ­- Here’s the question:

How does a softball team improve upon making four consecutive regional tournament appearances and winning two conference regular season titles during that four-year span?

That is the query Lady Cavaliers fans have on their minds as the team embarks upon the 2005 campaign.

And new coach Tori Raby-Gentry has a quick and bold answer.

“We want to go to the national tournament,” the first-year skipper of the Lady Cavaliers said. “Our team goal is to be more competitive in the regionals and advance to nationals.”

While getting to the regional tournament the past four years has seemed to be a given, advancing past the competition has proven to be much more difficult. Each year the Cavaliers have battled their way through Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament before quickly bowing out of the Region XII championships.

Last year’s UVa-Wise squad lasted just three games into the regional tournament. Its only victory came in a narrow 2-1 decision over Spalding University.

Raby-Gentry, however, already has the ’05 edition of the UVa-Wise Diamond Divas primed for a stronger title run. Topping last year’s regular season accomplishments – at least on the stats sheets – could be a monumental task.
The Cavaliers set a school record in ’04 with 39 wins against only 10 losses. Plus they were an astonishing 25-3 in the AAC, and aggressively grabbed the conference’s regular season championship from Milligan College on the last day of the season.

The coach isn’t asking her uber-talented team to top last year’s numbers. She simply wants the club to be stronger and perform better in the high-pressure environment of the postseason.

“I’m confident we have as good a team as last year’s, if not better,” the coach said. “We have a strong group of freshmen who are challenging the veteran players and that in itself has made us a stronger team.”

During the Cavalier’s four-year reign of near dominance, pitching has been the vital organ that has rhythmically powered the success of the team.

Returning hurlers, senior Nichole Poore and junior Dani Benton, return to the ’05 club and will be driving force behind the team’s success.

A year ago Poore dominated opposing hitters, baffling them with an arsenal of pitches while gliding through the season with a 13-4 record.

Her pinpoint control allowed her to walk only two batters during the season – that’s a new school record – and her 1.67 ERA was second only to Benton’s miniscule 1.24.

Benton was the No. 3 starter – she split time between standing in the pitching circle and crouching behind the plate as the team’s all-conference catcher. In ’04 the junior threw in 13 games and earned a 9-1 mark.
This season Benton is discarding the catchers equipment because of knee injuries and will play exclusively as a pitcher.

“Nichole does an exceptional job of mixing speeds and keeping batters off balance,” Raby-Gentry said. “And Dani has good speed and a good pitch selection.”

Joining the dynamic duo in the pitching rotation will be freshman lefty Amanda Wheeler.
Only one infield starter returns to the Cavaliers from the ’04 championship team, and that’s junior Krystal Showers. The slick-fielding Showers is moving to her natural position at shortstop from second base.

“Krystal has great hands, great range and a strong arm,” Raby-Gentry said. “Along with those great defensive skills she brings a solid bat to the lineup.” Showers hit .351 and smacked two home runs a year ago. Freshman Sarah Frazier will also see some time at shortstop as a backup.

At first base, junior Courtney Brannon, Alicia King and freshman Ellie Blackburn will compete for the starting slot.
Brannon saw action in 22 games with 19 starts last season while hitting .143. King who was a backup at third base, played 27 games with 14 starts and batted .370.

At second base, junior Ashley Addington will be the starter and Beth Matlock will be a solid backup. Addington played in 28 games with 21 starts last year in right field and batted .219. Matlock played in 11 games and batted .308.
On the hot corner freshmen Terri Anne Hill and Shelley Newton will alternate time with King serving as backup.

Hill did a tremendous job at third in the fall, according to the coach. She missed last season because of a basketball injury. Newton will alternate in at third depending on who is pitching, Raby-Gentry said.
Behind the plate, Wheeler, Newton and Hill will all see time. Each brings strong arms and great defensive skills and do a great job on the offensive side as well.

In the outfield, senior Kendall Rainey will continue to create a deadzone for opposing batters in center field.
Rainey, who hit .376 and scored 40 runs last year and was an all-region and all-conference pick the past two seasons, will anchor a young outfield.

Left field will see freshmen Michelle Osborne starting with Ashley Demarest as backup.
“Osborne gets good jumps and has a strong arm and Demarest is a consistent player who brings variety to the plate,” Raby-Gentry said.

Megan Dean, Meagan Jones, Charity Gilliam and Demarest all will compete for the starting right field job. Dean batted .357 in ‘04.

So, the Lady Cavaliers have the necessary ingredients – solid pitching, seasoned veterans along with a talented crop of newcomers – to make a strong run toward their national tournament goal.

The 2005 schedule, however, will not help as it could prove to be tougher than years past. The slate is laced with its usual group of lethal AAC contenders in addition to mixture of strong non-conference opponents, including competition
in a spring break tournament in mid-March in Florence, S.C.

“This year’s schedule is tough, but we wanted it to be tough,” Raby-Gentry said. “If we play a better caliber of teams outside of the conference throughout the regular season, it makes us a better team come regional tournament time.”

So does it sound like the new coach has this team ready to compete at the next level?

No question about it.