When Armstrong Atlantic State University coach Ted Evans took his first look at his 2010 Pirates softball team, he quickly saw that they were young and energetic. After losing a great deal of his offensive production due to graduation, Evans felt that this season the Pirates would rely more on speed and slap hitting than they have in the past. Twenty nine games into the season and the Pirates look like they just keep on getting better. With a 6-2 win over St. Leo and a 2-1 victory over Alderson-Broaddas on the final day of the 2010 FMU Patriot Softball Classic on March 12, the Pirates extended their winning streak to ten games while elevating their overall mark to a staggering 21-8. Since that time, a pair of losses has done little to dampen the spirits of the team or of their head coach. “I think that we feel like we are right on track,” said Armstrong Atlantic State University head coach Ted Evans. “We know that we have a young team, but we also have a talented team. We are 21-8 right now and five of those losses are against nationally-ranked top 25 teams. Two of those losses were against the number one team and two other losses were against the number four team in the country. In addition, three of those four games were one-run losses. So we have shown that we can play and be right there with the best of them, but that we haven’t been able to put it all together yet. Championship teams find a way to win and right now as a young team, even though we’re talented and playing right with them, we just haven’t found that way to win.” One way that the Pirates have found to win is by flashing a great deal of power at the plate. Led by a quartet of players hitting above .350, the Pirates have blasted their way to an early 20-win season, no small feat when you consider that the squad finished with an overall mark of 27-23 last year. Second baseman April Jowers, the quintessential table-setter in the number two spot in the batting order, is leading the team in hitting with a robust .477 mark, while third baseman Baillie Temples has slugged her way to a .469 mark of her own, while also leading the squad with eight home runs and 32 runs batted in. Outfielders Erin Billingsley (.355, 5 home runs and 19 RBI) and Shelly Duff (.351, 2 homers and 15 runs batted in) have also jump-started the Pirates early season hit parade, giving the team a wealth of hot bats and confidence as they prepare to begin their conference schedule. “We have a couple of girls who can hit with power and they are all hitting right now,” stated Evans. “Baillie, right now, is just on fire,” said Evans. “If the season ended today, she would be a strong candidate for Player of the Year. She is just having an unbelievable season. Baillie is a true five star athlete, because she can steal a base for you, she can drop a bunt or she can knock it out of the park. You don’t get that kind of player very often.” With the Pirates swinging the bat as well as they have to begin the season, and with the emergence of freshman Megan Barnwell, who has already won conference player of the week honors this season, the team is brimming with confidence as they head into the meat of their conference schedule. Their coach likes what he sees coming together in front of him. “We are maturing and growing as a team,” added Evans. “It’s an exciting team. I think that the prospects for them are looking pretty good, not just for the future, but for this season as well.”
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