With no seniors and only two juniors, the 2023 Lyon County softball roster reads more like a JV squad than a varsity team.
But the Lady Lyon youngsters have talent. It’s just a matter of how quickly the youthful squad can become competitive in the 5th District and the 2nd Region.
Junior centerfielder Lauren Davis is slated into the leadoff spot in the batting order and will be counted on for leadership. She hit .358 last season and stole a team-high 17 bases.
The team’s other junior, Gracen Wynn, is out with an injury for the second straight season.
Sophomore Lilly Perry returns with experience in the pitching circle and figures to throw most of the innings this season. She was 13-10 with a save last year, compiling a 5.46 earned run average in 145 innings. Offensively, Perry likely will be in the middle of the lineup after batting .337 with 27 runs batted in last year.
Freshman Jenna Coursey is another young player with varsity experience along with eighth grade shortstop Courtney Collins.
Coursey was a .340 hitter last year with a home run and 28 RBIs.
Collins, whose older sister Calista now plays at Rutgers, hit .379 with a homer and 22 runs batted in.
Eighth grader Olivia Moore moves into a starting role at catcher while classmate Piper Cotham starts in the outfield.
Freshman Emma Brasher will be in the lineup in the outfield while eighth graders Bailey Breitrick and Brenna Breitrick will likely start somewhere.
Cayelyn Downing, another eighth grader, will be in the mix as well.
The Lady Lyons went 18-14 last year and won the 2nd Region All A Classic. Lyon went on to reach the semifinals of the state All A tournament in Owensboro.
Two years ago, the Lady Lyons won the state championship in the All A Classic softball tournament.
However, the Lady Lyons have graduated an array of talent off of those squads.
Lyon softball is now in a rebuilding phase with its young squad, but the Lady Lyons still expect to be a tough out when tournament time comes around.
