With a new softball field, a new coach and a new season, the Jacksonville High softball program is looking to turn its program around.

YoLandra Ball takes over as the coach for the Lady Eagles. Ball, a native of Piedmont, played high school softball at Piedmont and did a coaching practicum at Piedmont High School under the tutelage of PHS softball coach Matt Deerman.

Ball is a recent graduate of Jacksonville State University and knows that she has a big task at hand in turning around the softball program at JHS, a program that hasn’t had a winning season in many years.

“We have a lot of seventh and eighth graders. This is a very young team,” admits Ball. “We have only one senior, Stephanie Russell. Also returning for us is Jamecia Mays, Jenny Daniels Samantha Greenhalgh, Chametris Young, Ashlyn Mashburn and Malika Nation.

“We’ll start off slow but by the end of the season we should be real good. A lot of the girls have played travel ball together so they know how to play together. Long term we feel that next year this team should be in Montgomery playing. The team has the potential this year to make it pretty far. These girls are willing to learn.”

Ball feels that Chametris Young will probably carry the team offensively. “You don’t want to take the bat out of her hands,” said Ball.

On defense Ball has been impressed with catcher Courtney Bowden. “She communicates very well with the team,” said Ball.

Pitching right now is up in the air and Ball feels that Ashlyn Mashburn or Tiffany Springer will be competing for the job.

Ball has added two assistant coaches, Tiffany Hendon and Christina Pearson, both of who played softball at JSU under Coach Jana McGinnis.

The girls will play this year on a new softball field located at Jacksonville High School. The field has brick dugouts and a two-story concession stand/press box.

In the home dugout the girls have a locker room, benches and an office for the coaches. There are also offices located in the press box.

The field isn’t quite ready to play on yet and the first home game is scheduled for March 11 against Weaver. Ball would like to remind spectators to bring their own chairs to the field as there are no bleachers yet. Jacksonville plays in the same area as Alexandria, Hokes Bluff and Cherokee County. The Lady Eagles will begin their season on Thursday with an away game at Anniston.