Lyon County’s girls will build around one of the 2nd Region’s top players as they make their way through the 2022 season.
Calista Collins, who took advantage of the COVID-19 extra year to return for a second senior season, is the No. 2-rated player in the region and an all-state performer.
Collins, who put college softball at Rutgers University on hold to return to Lyon, hit .475 last year to help the Lady Lyons fashion a 26-10 and win the 5th District championship before falling to Henderson County 2-0 in the 2nd Region semifinals.
Collins slammed 14 home runs a year ago and led Lyon with 55 runs batted in and 52 runs scored. Of her 57 base hits, 31 went for extra bases.
As a sophomore, Collins batted .566 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs, with 32 of her 60 hits being extra-base hits.
While Collins returns, the owners of the next three highest batting averages from last season are now playing college softball. Katelyn Dykes (Brescia) hit .486, Sydney Melton (Southeast Missouri) hit .440 and Kaelyn Conger (Quincy) hit .403.
They leave some major holes. For starters, Conger was the team’s top pitcher in 2021. She went 17-4 with a 3.17 earned run average while throwing the majority of the innings last year.
Lyon does have some options in the pitching circle this season.
Freshman Lilly Perry returns after going 4-2 in 13 appearances with three saves and a 3.47 earned run average. She will likely get the bulk of the work this season. Perry also hit .341 in 2021.
Meanwhile, Emma West moved in after playing at Trigg County last season. She led the Lady Wildcats in innings pitched with 57, but went 1-7 with a 7.86 ERA as a sophomore.
Freshman Destiny Cayce, another transfer, saw limited varsity pitching action last season at Caldwell County.
Perry and West will both be in the lineup most days. If they’re not pitching, expect to see one of them at first base.
Behind the plate, sophomore Ryan Graham takes over for Melton and will look to grow into that role.
Elsewhere on the infield, senior Hadlie Butler is back at second base after hitting .374 last season with three home runs and 32 runs batted in.
Seventh grader Courtney Collins, the younger sister of Calista, figures to take over at third base.
In the outfield, sophomore Lauren Davis will start in center. She was a .393 hitter last year.
Look for senior Jaiden Capello to see action in right while eighth grader Jenna Coursey plays in left.
Another player who would have been a big contributor this season, sophomore Gracen Wynn, is likely out for the year with a neck and back injury suffered during the basketball season. She hit .394 a year ago with three homers and 34 RBIs.
Lyon looks to be the favorite again in the district this season, with Livingston Central and Crittenden County expected to be the main challengers.
The Lady Lyons also appear to be the team to beat in the regional All A Classic and could be a challenger in the 2nd Region tournament at the end of the season, although Henderson County, Madisonville-North Hopkins and Christian County are expected to be among the favorites.
Lyon opened the season Monday night with a 7-0 loss to Madisonville.
The Lady Lyons will go to Muhlenberg County on Tuesday.
Lyon head coach Jason Collins talks about the upcoming season in this YSE interview.
