For the first time in the history of Pulaski County High School, a softball team has completed an undefeated season. The JV Lady Cougars defeated Salem 23-0 in their final game of the season to finish with a perfect 18-0 record.
The stage was set for this event several years ago when a group of young ladies came together as the first softball team at Pulaski County Middle School. This same group, minus a few players who are playing up on varsity as freshmen, finished that first year with another perfect record, this time 11-0.
The team has mostly stuck together, with most players staying on the middle school team as eighth graders last year and having another great, but not perfect, season. Many of them also play on the same travel and AAU teams throughout the year, making those bonds even tighter.
Last season, many of these same young ladies recorded the best record by any softball team up to that point, JV or varsity, with a 15-3-1 effort. They lost to Abingdon 2-0, Christiansburg 10-5, and Blacksburg 20-12.
This season, the team came in laser focused.
“The JV team has been locked in and working hard at practice all season,” Lady Cougar Varsity Head Coach Jeff Linkous said. “They’ve put in the work and they’ve taken that mentality into the game. Coach Amanda Dishon, Coach Andy Hall, and Coach Gary Brightbill have helped the players cut down on errors and increase their hits. Anyone who knows the game knows that it’s all about minimizing your errors and putting the bat on the ball. They went from 54 errors last season to 37 this season. They increased their hits from 216 last season to 249 this season. That’s huge.”
“I have been with the program for most of its existence, first as a player then as a coach,” JV Head Coach Amanda Dishon said. “It has been a pleasure to watch the sport develop both in interest and skill. We were a hot mess when we started in the late 90s. Back then few girls saw the point to staying in the rec program all the way from t-ball to baseball. The only real athletic outlet for girls in the county that continued to foster girls’ sports from a young age to high school were track and basketball. Is it any wonder that Pulaski County has been a powerhouse in girls’ basketball for decades? Look at the track and field athletes that have put Pulaski County on the map.”
“Our county has always had amazing athletes, male and female,” she continued. “We have had many talented athletes come through the Lady Cougars Softball program these past 27 years, but we often found ourselves at a disadvantage when competing with other districts due to a lack of strong feeder programs. Many of the girls who made the team were athletic but had not played competitive softball. That trend has begun to shift over the last few years and it is largely due to the increase of developmental opportunities for girls of all ages in our county when it comes to softball. Pulaski County's recreation department now offers softball for multiple age levels. We now have a middle school team and several travel teams dedicated to the growth and development of local kids. All of which are being coached by a combination of dedicated parents and alumni of the Lady Cougar Softball program. It's all about program building.”
The season started with a bang, with the Lady Cougars earning a 26-0 victory over the Radford Bobcats. That was not the only big win or shutout of the season, however. Pulaski County put five shutouts in the books and won 14 games by 10 points or more. They won six games by 20 runs or more. The biggest win of the season was a dominating 31-0 performance over Patrick Henry.
The toughest games of the season came against the usual suspects. Floyd County is always a tough game. Pulaski County won those games 14-3 and 14-4. Christiansburg takes a great deal of pride in their softball program. Pulaski County won those games 15-4 and 11-8. The Lady Cougars shutout Blacksburg 10-0 in their first meeting, but only won 10-5 in the rematch. Cave Spring was the toughest test for the Lady Cougars this season. Pulaski County won those games by the slim margins of 5-3 and 6-5.
The statistics were outstanding this season. Pulaski County scored 297 runs while only allowing 47. Pulaski County had 37 errors this season. In the same number of games, their opponents had 107 errors.
The Lady Cougars had 249 hits while only giving up 75 hits by the opponents. That low number of hits was combination of outstanding pitching and solid defense.
Sophia Hall led the way on the pitching rubber with 93 innings of work. In those 17 games, she gave up 75 hits, 43 runs (24 earned), and 30 walks while striking out 149 batters. Her ERA at the end of the season was 1.806. Emma Ritter put in eight innings on the pitching rubber, giving up no hits, eight walks, and four runs (one earned), while striking out 16 batters. Her end of season ERA is .875.
When Pulaski County swung the bat this season, they did so effectively. The team finished with an overall batting average of .461 and an on-base percentage of .567.
Shelby Dobbins finished with the top batting average at .623 that included 38 hits, seven doubles, two triples, six home runs, 35 runs scored, 39 RBI, and nine walks. Her on-base percentage was .671.
Sara Ritter ended 2023 with a .537 batting average and .597 on-base percentage that included 36 hits, nine doubles, four triples, six home runs, 33 RBI, 37 runs, and nine walks.
Ava Souder had a .600 batting average, .676 on-base percentage, 33 hits, five doubles, 28 RBI, 31 runs, and 11 walks.
Sophia Hall had 31 hits, nine doubles, one triple, 30 RBI, 32 runs, and nine walks with a .463 batting average.
Carley Hight had had a .483 average with 28 hits, six doubles, two triples, four home runs, 19 RBI, 38 runs, and four walks.
Ma’Kayla Hairston had a .415 batting average with 17 hits, three doubles, four triples, 21 RBI, 25 runs, and five walks.
Noah Dobbins had 16 hits, seven doubles, 22 RBI, 18 runs, and eight walks with a .364 average.
Addison Dean, the catcher, had 15 hits, two doubles, a triple, 19 RBI, 18 runs, and 19 walks with a .349 average.
Alexas Dishon had 13 hits, three doubles, a triple, 12 RBI, 27 runs, and six walks with a .283 average.
Emma Nester had 11 hits, one triple, six RBI, 22 runs, and 14 walks with a .367 average.
Emma Ritter had 11 hits, one double, 13 RBI, 14 runs, and eight walks with a .393 batting average.
“Before last season's 15-3-1 record, the JV softball team had never had a winning season,” Coach Dishon said. “This season, everything came together for us. Not only did we go undefeated, we won all but four games by slaughter rule. We were strong at the plate. We played clean ball on the field with a fielding percentage of .910 and we were strong on the mound having struck out 165 of our opponents. To put that in perspective, we were only struck out 49 times total this season. Despite the impressive stats, the true key to this season's success has been how well they have worked together as a team and the true level of sportsmanship they displayed toward each other and their opponents.”
“It has been a privilege to be part of the Lady Cougar Softball coaching staff,” Dishon added. “Respect for the game starts at the top with strong leadership. The year-round dedication of Coach Jeff Linkous to the program is inspiring. He continues to push us to be better coaches, which in turn helps the girls strive to become better players. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said for creating a successful athletic program and thanks to the village we call home, the future of softball in Pulaski County is bright!”