A season of redemption for Bryan County softball begins Friday when Coach Jessica Shroeder-Cooper’s second team opens the season against the Jenkins Warriors in a 5:30 p.m. game at Redskins Field.
Cooper, a long-time assistant at Richmond Hill, moved over to Bryan County last year with high expectations but things admittedly could have gone better as the Redskins struggled through a 10-12 season, 5-9 and fifth-place in the Region 3A-DII race. As a result they missed the state playoffs for the first time in five years.
The roster Cooper posted on the school’s Facebook page shows only 11 players but it includes some of the top players in the region and experience at key positions.
Leading the way is senior shortstop Elizabeth Harvey, an all-region pick in softball, basketball and soccer, who has started at shortstop since her freshman year. Harvey is considered to be the best girl athlete in the school and she is an excellent leadoff hitter.
Senior outfielder Cam Parker and junior first baseman Emily Johnson, both all-region performers, take a backseat to no one. They’re both outstanding hitters with proven power and play their position extremely well.
Harvey, Parker, Johnson and senior McKinely Walker will all keep Bryan County in the game with their bats and their glove. The key to success will hinge on what takes place in the circle and Cooper has experience there, too, in senior pitchers Eris Deal and Abigail Lee who started as freshmen.
Sophomores Peyton Scott, Teagan Meekins and Lilla Hannah along with freshmen Emma Into and Abigail Robider round out the squad and will be looked upon to carry their share of the load.
Emanuel County Institute is the defending region champion and is favored to repeat. Metter took second last year, Screven County was third and Claxton edged out the Redskins for fourth-place and the final playoff berth.
The Redskins were 0-8 against those four teams so they know the challenge which awaits them.
Bryan County plays its first three games at home as it hosts Southeast Bulloch on Monday and Tattnall County on Thursday before going on the road on Saturday as it travels to Jackson High School where it will play Mary Persons at 11 a.m. and host Jackson at 1 p.m.
The Redskins get a taste of what the region holds for them right out of the box as they open region play on Aug. 12 at Metter and two days later go to Screven County.
The schedule:
Aug. 1: Jenkins; 4: Southeast Bulloch; 7: Tattnall County; 9: vs. Mary Persons at Jackson, 11 a.m.; at Jackson, 1 p.m.; 12: at Metter*; 14: at Screven County*; 18: at Long County; 19: Jenkins County*; 20: at Bulloch Academy; 21: Claxton*; 25: at Liberty County; 26: at McIntosh County Academy*; 28: Portal*.
Sept. 4: at Emanuel County Institute*; 8: at Tattnall County; 9: Metter*; 11: Screven County*; 15: Long County; 16: at Jenkins County*; 18: at Claxton*; 22: at Statesboro; 23: McIntosh County Academy*; 25: at Portal*; 30: Emanuel County Institute*.
Oct. 8: Bulloch Academy (Senior Night).
*--denotes region game. All home games start at 5:30 p.m.