Newton Citizen

CONYERS - Although the season did not quite pan out the way Salem softball would have liked, the Lady Seminoles will use this as a learning experience to better themselves come next year.

The Lady Seminoles went 3-17 this season and were held winless in Region 8-AAAA South at 0-8.

In 20 games, Salem scored 89 runs, an average of 4.45 per outing. Opponents tallied 143 runs for an average of 7.15 per game.

On the bright side, the Lady Seminoles did welcome a new addition to the program - a home field, which should benefit them come next year.

"The only reason, if any, that I would be frustrated is that the girls are a lot better than our win/loss record reflected," Salem coach Stephanie Bassett said.

Three such standouts include senior center fielder Meghan Campbell, junior shortstop Tori Beauchamp and sophomore third baseman Jessica Vason.

Arguably the biggest loss is Campbell, who led the Lady Seminoles in several offensive and defensive categories this season.

Campbell batted .431 (25-for-58) with 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored. She also had a .909 fielding percentage.

Beauchamp batted .333, while Vason had a team-high .451 batting average, including 12 RBIs and 10 runs scored. Defensively, she recorded a .971 fielding percentage.

Rounding out the senior class are Kristi Allbritten and Samantha McCalvin.

"The seniors possessed great leadership and gave a good example for the younger girls to follow," Bassett said. "The encouragement they gave their teammates was exceptional. Their constant hustle, love of the game and desire to improve really made them stand out, and they will be missed next year."

Without question, there is much work to do. However, Bassett fully understands the magnitude of what must happen and is optimistic regarding next season.

"We will continue improving skills that we've been working on, but especially strength conditioning and hitting and fielding fundamentals," she said.

Jason Murdock can be reached at jason.murdock@rockdalecitizen.com.