Coaches Brandon White and Nichole Booher are tying up any loose ends this week as they get their all-star team ready for the Little League 8U District Softball Tournament in Russell Springs. The field will be filled some of the top teams in the area like Marion County, Washington County and Nelson County.
For White and the rest of the Adair County all-stars, this tournament will come down to going out and playing softball the way they know how to play.
“We really have some aggressive girls this year,” White said. “They’re aggressive at the plate on offense and they are looking very good on defense. This is a relatively young team, with some that have never played before this year.”
The tournament will run June 18-21 in Russell Springs at the field on Hwy. 80, next to the Somerset Community College facility. Adair County will open the tournament with South Hardin. The first pitch is set for 11:30 a.m.
The Adair County roster includes: Ava Loy, Rylee Barnett, Olivia Feese, Emmalynn White, Caylynn White, Ann-Riley Corbin, Kharlie Stockton, Saylor Booher, TInsley Burton, Emily Burkhardt, and Corbin Coots.
“Most of the girls listen well,” White said. “They all want to play certain positions, and that’s not possible. Getting them to buy into that can be the most difficult thing to do. We only have four practices to get them ready, so they need to know what they’re jobs are.”
White said Adair County’s biggest strength is its aggressiveness at the plate and on the basepaths. The players, he said, don’t seem to be afraid of the ball. He hopes that attitude will transmit to a solid defense. The team’s weakness, so far, has been actual game strategy, what to do when the ball comes to them.
“The keys to success for us are you have to have girls that want to be there,” the coach said. “You must have girls that will listen to you. Some of the girls will absorb everything you say, then some wouldn’t have a clue about what you are talking about.”
White said the field for the district tournament will be filled with landmines for teams making it to the state tournament, which is scheduled for July.
“The first and second teams from the district advance to the state tournament,” White said. “There are a few teams we are worried about because some of these teams have been playing together for some time.
“What we have to remember is we are as good as any team in the tournament, so we want the girls to be confident. I also want these girls to learn a lot this summer, and love the experience.”