Local Sports
PREP SOFTBALL: Three Cullman players sign with JUCO teams
Lesley Cork, Elizabeth Buchanan and Kayla Dean have one less thing to worry about. The Cullman High senior softball players already have their futures mapped out.
The Bearcats trio took care of that Friday morning, with all three signing with junior college softball programs.
Buchanan and Cork both signed with Faulkner, following former Cullman players Lacey Cork, Alison Meriweather and Cassie Gable to the Mobile-based school.
Kayla Dean signed with Calhoun, where she will join former Good Hope star Brianna Yarbrough on the Warhawks’ roster.
Last season, Cullman advanced to the state tournament for the first time since making the switch to fast-pitch softball. Buchanan, Dean and Cork all played roles in the Bearcats’ turnaround.
Buchanan was the ace on Cullman’s pitching staff, finishing her junior season with a 32-10 record and 248 strikeouts.
Since Cullman left-hander Emilee Segroves will miss this season with a shoulder injury, the Bearcats will depend heavily on Buchanan’s right arm again this year.
The driving force behind Cullman’s softball success last season was the team’s performance at the plate. Coach Marc Ponder’s team set a new school record for most home runs in a single season with 38.
Last season’s team was one of the best offensive softball teams to ever play in Alabama. The 2008 Bearcats rank fourth all-time for most homers in a single season and fifth all-time for most triples in a single season with 25.
With Cork and Dean in the lineup this season — along with several talented underclassmen — Cullman expects to be a strong offensive team again this year.
Topping what last season’s team accomplished — the ’08 squad had a .311 batting average and finished with a 46-16 overall record — may sound like a tall order, but that’s the Bearcats’ goal.
Cullman opens the season at Gardendale on Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. The Bearcats host Hartselle on March 2 for the first home game of the 2009 season.
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Region commits to Auburn
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