Owen sophomore Jaiden Tweed led all mountain softball pitchers with 201 strikeouts in 2015.
SWANNANOA – One of Owen softball’s biggest strengths this season is that when the players take the field, they go out there as more than just teammates. They go out there as friends playing the game they love.
The Warlassies (5-3, 4-1) are a young team, but there is plenty of potential to make a run in the playoffs this season, said Owen coach Jenny Johnson.
“Our goals are set high so we want to finish top in conference and go as far as possible in the state playoffs,” Johnson said. “I think if we continue to develop and mesh as a team, then that is definitely a possibility for us.”
Sophomore Jaiden Tweed said she is excited to see how this team can build and grow together to get to the playoffs.
“Our goal as a team is to make playoffs, and we have the potential to do that,” Tweed said.
Tweed was an All-Western Highlands Conference pitcher/outfielder as a freshman last season. She struck out an area-best 201 batters and was selected to the N.C. Softball Coaches Association 2-A all-state and all-district teams.
Tweed has made an early college commitment to Presbyterian College and has a 1.70 earned-run average this spring.
A key for the Warlassies this season is the girls with more experience are always willing to step up and help the girls who haven’t been in this position before, Tweed said.
“We see each other as best friends and get along well so; that is another big thing for us,” Tweed said.
One of Owen’s biggest weaknesses can be the players’ failure to communicate at times on the field, Tweed said.
“We need to talk more to each other and know our surroundings at all times,” Tweed said.
Getting out of their own way and staying confident will be vital throughout the rest of the season in order to make a deep playoff run.
“Making sure we maintain our confidence and go to the plate with confidence is big,” Johnson said. “We’re young, and I forget that because most of these girls play at a really high level, so I forget that some of them are still fairly young. Sometimes it’s just confidence and staying up, even when they make errors.”
Owen played WHC-leading Madison (8-1, 4-0) earlier this week but fell short in trying to close the gap for the conference lead.
The Warlassies hit the ball well but were unable to string together enough consecutive hits to bring the baserunners in to score. They lost, 4-2, in Marshall.
“We left several on base, and then we had one inning where we made some errors in the field, and that’s the inning that got us,” Johnson said. “We just need to focus on cleaning up our defense and focus on having solid defense all seven innings and just continuing to get our bats stronger.”
After the game, the Warlassies came together as a team and pointed out the mistakes they made in the field in order to be better prepared for the rest of season and the rematch with Madison, Tweed said.
“We’re still a young team in some ways, but I think we have so much potential and we all have our goals set high for this season,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited to see how these players develop and continue to get better and continue to learn to work together as a team. I’m excited for our potential, definitely.”
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