LB softball begins today, baseball debuts in Salem Thursday; soccer teams play Thursday, Friday; River teams open Saturday
Photo by Brian Hoffman
Photo by Hank Ebert
The high school spring sports season was scheduled to begin on Monday of this week but the weatherman had other ideas.
With winter still officially here for another week, the cold weather, snow and wind wiped out all events for Monday through Wednesday of this week.
Once the snow melts and warmer temperatures arrive, it will be a busy time for the sports teams at Lord Botetourt and James River.
LBHS Baseball
The Lord Botetourt baseball team is now scheduled to debut on Thursday of this week with a game against Salem at Kiwanis Field at 7:30 p.m. The home opener is Friday at 5 p.m. against Franklin County.
LB returns key players Caleb Franklin and Drew Bond in the infield along with catcher Logan Wood and outfielders Hunter Duke, Patrick Kepler and Bryce Kelly. Kepler is also the top returning pitcher.
“We have a good group of returners from last year and hopefully a good mix of juniors who have been very successful at the jayvee level,” said LB coach Todd Smith. “We have great team chemistry but we’re a little short on pitching depth.”
JRHS Baseball
At James River, coach Harry Falls and the Knights baseball team is scheduled to open at noon on Saturday at home against Parry McCluer. The Knights return pitcher and shortstop Coulter Hodges, a junior, along with seniors Kavin Vest at first and Dalton Harper in centerfield.
“It’s going to be a hodge-podge early in the season because a lot of spots are wide open,” said Falls.
JRHS Softball
The softball team will also open on Saturday at noon in Springwood against Parry McCluer. Coach Steve Austin has a strong returning cast, with six girls who had more than 15 starts a year ago. Included are senior Rachel Kickuth at short, juniors Cameron Hildebrand in center, Evie Melvin at a corner infield spot, Erin Peery at second and Josey Lackey behind the plate. Lakota Lucado returns in left after starting as a freshman.
“We have an appreciable amount of experience returning but our pitching is extremely thin,” said Austin, as last year’s ace, Olivia Simmons, is now playing for Roanoke College. “Due to circumstances out of our control, senior Kaitlin Simmons is the only true pitcher on the team as the season begins. We have a couple of kids working diligently to become serviceable pitching options to give us some depth”.
It should be an interesting year for the Knights.
“I really like our team,” said Austin. “We have a core of scrappy, competitive kids who like to win. We can’t control what we do or don’t have but we can control how hard we play. Our theme for this season is to play hard, be determined, and find a way.”
LBHS Softball
The Lord Botetourt softball team is still a work in progress due to the extended girls basketball season. The Cavaliers are scheduled to open today at Rockbridge.
“I have had extended tryouts as I had some girls playing basketball,” said coach Cheryl Shockley.
LB should have a strong team, as the Cavs were very young last year. Among the top returnees is slugging Hannah Mundy and pitchers Meredith Wells, Maia Folk and Lauren Hoffman, who all saw time on the mound as freshmen.
Both LB and James River will once again be competing in the “Botetourt Bash” softball tournament at the Botetourt Sports Complex on March 23 and 24.
LBHS Soccer
In soccer, the Lord Botetourt boys return 14 varsity players. Coach Tim Wright only has two positions to fill from last year’s strong team and he’ll have excellent senior leadership from captains Blake Myers, Isaac DeHart, and Bryson Sanchez.
LB recently competed in the Cave Spring Jamboree, defeating Radford 1-0 in an abbreviated scrimmage and tying Cave Spring 2-2 in a full scrimmage.
“Overall, I was very impressed with how we played,” said Wright. “The jamboree is a time that fosters an opportunity for me to ‘play’ with formations and positions.”
The Cavaliers are now scheduled to open at home on Friday against Salem. The girls will have a home game Thursday against Lynchburg Christian Academy. LB lost eight seniors off last year’s team that went undefeated in the regular season while finishing 19-1.
“We’re looking forward to having a good season,” said coach Giuseppe D’Arpa. “We have a very talented group of young ladies with a lot of talent and speed.”
JRHS Soccer
The James River girls aren’t scheduled to open until next Tuesday, March 20, at Nelson County.
“The girls are coming together,” said coach Bill Smith. “The new players have mixed in well with the returning girls in preseason training. We have some good depth in our 22-player roster. Chemistry and sportsmanship are on track to be solid again this season.”
River looked good in the recent jamboree at William Byrd.
“We looked at a number of combinations and it is clear we have options to work with,” said Smith. “Our girls are flexible and hard working.”
The boys team will have eight seniors, which is a great number for a Class 2 school. River will open at home against Nelson County next Wednesday, March 21.
“With the returning veterans we have on older than usual team with that experience spread throughout the field giving us a very balanced lineup,” said coach Jared Whiting. “Many of these guys have played soccer in the off season, which should strengthen us across the entire field. I’m looking forward to the chemistry we will have with these players that have played together for so many years.”
LBHS Tennis
The Lord Botetourt tennis teams will open Friday against Franklin County. The boys will be at Hollins University and the girls will be in Rocky Mount. Both have new coaches as Blake Johnson takes over the boys team and Caroline Altier is new girls coach.
The boys lineup, from one to six, includes senior Noah Bryant at one followed by junior Tucker Grimshaw, junior Liam McCaul, senior Jack Buchanan, senior Benny Ford and senior Ryan Gathje. Bryant and Buchanan will be at first doubles while Grimshaw and McCaul at two and Ford and Gathje at three.
“We have a team that can certainly compete in the district and region,” said Johnson. “I’m very happy with our depth and look forward to competing for championships.
For the girls, the top six will be Rachel Williams, Kaile Judge, Leah Germain, Kayleigh Shafer, Abby Eggleston and Jordan Coffey. Judge, Shafer and Eggleston are captains. Williams and Shafer will play number one doubles with Judge and Eggleston at two and Germain and Coffey at three.
“We have some awesome talent,” said Altier. “I can absolutely see our ladder being shaken up through challenge matches all season. Our top 10 girls are all around the same ability, so we already have girls wanting to challenge before our second match for a spot on the ladder.”
Track
The local track teams are still two weeks away from their openers, and they’ll open at the same time as River and LB will open with a meet at Lord Botetourt High on March 28.
