By Malcolm Butler
Julie Riser has been coaching Cedar Creek softball for a long time.
And according to the veteran Lady Cougars boss, this year’s team is as young as she can remember in quite some time.
Cedar Creek opens the 2024 season today when they travel to face Logansport before playing at North DeSoto on Saturday.
Riser said the theme for this year is developing a very young roster.
“We are young. I think that we have some experience with the younger ones,” said Riser. “My expectations for them is to play up to their capabilities. Play hard. We work hard. We practice hard. I have had them since middle school so they understand how our program works and my process. So I think it will be easier for them because of that.
“I am looking forward to it. I think they have a lot to learn. I think we will see a big improvement from today’s (first game) to the end of the season just because they are young.”
Graduated are the likes of Allie Furr (LA Tech), Lillian Soto (UL-Lafayette), Lizzie McAdams, Chloe Brashear, and Peyton Muse — all veterans who helped lead the program to the state quarterfinals a year ago.
To illustrate the youthfulness on the Lady Cougars 17-person roster is the fact that that more than two-thirds of it is comprised of seventh, eighth and ninth graders.
“(We brought up a lot of seventh and eighth graders) just because of numbers,” said Riser. “I have three seniors, one junior and one sophomore. And then four freshmen, and the rest are seventh and eighth graders. They are good. They are excited to play. They have a lot to learn, but I think they are willing to take on the challenge.”
Riser believes that the Lady Cougars pitching staff will need to be solid, especially early in the season as the bats warm up. Senior Olivia Salter, junior Mallory Smith, sophomore Ainsley DeMent and freshman Anna Claire Fitzgerald will comprise this year’s group in the circle.
Brashear and McAdams saw the bulk of the innings last season, leaving very little experience in varsity games for this year’s group.
“I have one (pitcher) in each class in the high school classes,” said Riser. “They didn’t pitch a lot of varsity innings last year, but they have pitched a lot of JV innings so in that respect they are experienced. I feel like we will use all of them at some point.
“Olivia will be the one we will look to log the most innings. Her and Ainsley, but we will use all four of them. We will see.”
Offensively, Riser said the 2024 Lady Cougars will have to work hard to do the little things needed to generate offense.
“We are going to have to manufacture runs,” said Riser. “We will have to use some small ball. We need to be aggressive on the bases and be disciplined enough to make sure we are swinging at our pitch and hitting it hard. We need to put it in play.”
