Pea Ridge made its first regional softball appearance since moving to Class 4A in 2013, but making a return this season seemed to be a daunting task.
Pea Ridge coach Josh Reynolds had five freshmen in the starting lineup and very few seniors when the season started against Class 6A Siloam Springs. But the Lady Blackhawks got better with each game and in the end the team didn't miss a beat in making a return trip to the Regionals.
Josh Reynolds
School: Pea Ridge
Notable: Led Pea Ridge to an 11-9 finish as the Lady Blackhawks earned a regional berth for just the second time since being elevated to Class 4A. Defeated Gravette for the first time in 4A-1 Conference play.
Pea Ridge (11-9) prepped for the rugged 4A-1 Conference with a tough non-conference schedule and they went on to beat Gravette for the first time ever in league play while finishing fourth in the conference standings. The season ended with a 8-0 loss to Mena in the Class 4A North Regional.
For his efforts, Reynolds is the All-NWA Media Softball Coach of the Year for Class 5A and below.
"We had a lot of unknowns at the start of the season," Reynolds said. "I knew the freshmen had played a lot of travel ball, but how that related to the high school level is the question in everybody's mind. As the season moved on, the freshmen grew up and we started competing first to last pitch.
"We were nervous before the season started, but we were pleased with the freshmen."
Along the way, Pea Ridge lost in extra innings to eventual conference champion Ozark and they had a win against Harrison. Jerika Schooley was a key catalyst as the senior was 11-8 with a 2.14 ERA while striking out 123 in 125 innings of work. She also batted .381 with 13 RBIs.
"Our pitching got better with Schooley, and the freshman started to learn the system," Reynolds said.
But the key win was defeating Gravette in the conference opener.
"I knew we were on the right track," Reynolds said. "First time we have done that in the 4A. We started peaking right before that in the Fayetteville-Farmington Tournament. The Gravette win got everybody's attention that we would be okay if we just showed up and played."
Reynolds hopes that going to the regionals again will be a stepping stone for earning a bid to the state tournament.
"The bar was set high after making the regionals the year before for the first time in 4A," Reynolds said. "We got to go down to Mena this year, and the kids got to stay the night. It was a completely different environment for them. Mena dismissed school early, and they had the stands filled for them. It was definitely an advantage for Mena."
Sports on 06/18/2014