Aucilla Christian softball is off to one of its most promising starts under head coach Becky Brandies, opening the season by winning seven of its first eight games behind a lineup that is — remarkably — almost entirely freshmen.
In her 14th season, Brandies is guiding the youngest roster she has ever coached. The team’s lone upperclassman is junior infielder Taylor Mahan. Everyone else is a ninth grader or younger.
“We knew it was a rebuilding year for us,” Brandies said. “We lost some last year, and they’ve stepped up to the plate even in the ninth grade.”
Aucilla Christian finished 6-8 last spring with a mix of middle schoolers and upperclassmen. Still in rebuild mode, this year’s youthful group is ahead of schedule, exceeding expectations and staying grounded through the early surge.
“They’re still going out there and working hard every day, but going out and having fun,” Brandies said. “They roll together very well as a team.”
Many of the players have grown up together, and Brandies said their chemistry has been one of the team’s biggest strengths.
“They’re all friends. They’ve been going to school together forever,” she said. “They encourage each other and root for each other. Everybody out here is working equally as hard — from the one junior I have, to all my ninth graders, down to my seventh grader.”
Mahan has embraced her role as the team’s veteran presence.
“She’s a great leader,” Brandies said. “She gives it her all every single day. The amount of energy and positivity she carries motivates other people to be the same way.”
Young bats powering early surge
The Warriors’ hot start has been fueled by consistent production at the plate. Through their first eight games, they are batting .363 with 78 hits and 74 runs.
Freshman shortstop Macy Morgan has emerged as the offensive leader, tallying 15 hits, 18 runs and 19 RBIs while batting .652 with a home run. Freshman catcher Lili Fendrick is batting .500 with 13 hits, 13 runs and 17 RBIs.
“The biggest thing is that the girls have hit the ball very well all season,” Brandies said. “Our first game, we struggled a little bit — first-game nerves. But once they started hitting, it’s stayed going and they’re making things happen.”
After shaking off those early jitters, the Warriors settled in quickly.
“Once we got that first game out of our system, game two they knew what to expect,” she said. “You’ll never know until you’re actually in a game. You can’t practice the feeling of an actual game situation.”
Defense a work in progress
Brandies said the offense has been reliable, but the defense is still developing as players rotate through multiple positions based on pitching matchups.
“I want to see them keep hitting the ball. I’d love to have great defense, but we’ve definitely got work to do,” she said. “Because of who’s pitching, I have people who have to play different positions. It’s just a matter of having enough time to sort that out so everyone can cleanly fill their position.”
Despite the growing pains, Brandies believes the Warriors’ youth is also their advantage — fearless, energetic and eager to learn.
“I want to see him keep hitting the ball, but I love to hit, I mean, have great defense, but we’ve got, definitely got work to do,” Brandies said.
“And due to who’s pitching, I have people in that have to play different positions, so it’s just having enough time to get that kind of sorted out, to where everybody can cleanly fill their position, wherever it might be.”
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Aucilla Christian softball is almost all freshmen, or younger. And they win
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
