The 2008 softball season starts off for the Lady Waves with new coaches and high expectations. The Lady Waves are coming off consecutive trips to the State Tournament in Murfreesboro and 59 wins over the last two seasons. With seven returning starters, the girls are looking to continue their winning ways. 
With the departure of the daughter and father coaching duo of Amy and Ronnie Ladd, the Lady Waves will start the 2008 season with new co-head coaches Craig Hutchinson and Robbie Viar. Both Robbie and Craig have been very successful over the last several years coaching many different levels of Midway Softball. Coach Hutchinson is a graduate of Harriman High School and has lived in SOR for the last 25 years. He is married to Midway graduate Pam Standridge Hutchison. Craig has one daughter, Candi, who played fast-pitch softball for Midway and continued her career by playing softball for Roane State. Coach Viar is a graduate of Midway High School. Robbie is married to Midway High School secretary April Shipwash Viar. Robbie’s daughter Brittanie Viar played softball for Midway and is currently continuing her softball career at Tennessee Wesleyan College. Rob also has two boys. Thomas attends Midway Middle School and Jacob is a student at Midway Elementary.
The Lady Waves will have one large hole to fill with the graduation of senior All-District catcher Kayla Mundy. Kayla was a great catcher, but even more importantly was the leader of last year’s State Tournament team. Replacing Mundy’s experience may be impossible, but the Lady Waves have two strong candidates for the job of catcher. Sophomore Haley Parks and Freshman Paige Moree both are good prospects behind the plate.
Lacey Davidson played third base last season for the Lady Waves. Lacey has a great glove and is very dependable at bat. Lacey has just completed her basketball season and will quickly transition into softball. Lacey will be the only senior this year and will be looked at to lead this highly experienced but still young team.
Junior pitcher Hannah Colyer returns for her third season as the starter on the mound for the Lady Waves. Hannah has worked extremely hard during this past off-season and looks to be hitting her stride as the start of the season approaches. As a sophomore, Hannah was named to the 2007 All-State Team at pitcher. She has been recognized as the top pitcher in our area for years. Hannah has great accuracy and her pitch speed has been clocked at above 60 mph (equivalent to an 83+ mph fastball in baseball). She has been a big reason for the Lady Waves’ success over the last two years. Hannah recorded 308 strikeouts in 44 games as a freshman and had 282 strikeouts in 38 games as a sophomore. The upcoming season looks to be her best yet.
Another reason for the past success of the Lady Waves has been the defensive play and bat of junior shortstop Alex Coffman. Alex has good speed and a great glove. Alex hit six home runs out of the park last season and had an on-base average of .657. Alex plays smart and always seems to be in the right position to make a play.
Another two-year starter is junior Kati Alexander. She will be back at first base. Kati is fast becoming a leader of the high-powered Lady Waves team. Kati also provided the “shot heard all the way back to Midway” when she hit a two-run homer over the fence against Greenback in last year’s District Championship game. Kati has a great glove and has saved a lot of plays with scoop-up or stretch-out catches. Katie has put in the work this off-season and it will pay off as the season starts.
Krystal Rue played center field on last year’s team. No one will forget the full-speed, over-the-shoulder catch that Krystal made to save the game against Oliver Springs. This year, the team will be looking for those same hustle-type plays that this junior has come to be known for. On offense, Krystal puts the ball in play and lets her speed do the work from there.
Ashley Alexander is the only other junior returning from last year’s team. Ashley has worked extremely hard this off-season and swings the bat well. Ashley has a good glove and a big heart and could possibly break into the starting lineup this year.
After missing last season, junior player Erica McMurry returns to the team this year. Erica has the heart and the work ethic and will be looking for playing time this season.
Sophomores Haley Parks and Michele Walden have just completed their basketball season and are ready to get to work on the softball field. Both of these players were huge additions to the team last year as freshmen. Haley went deep to center field with an over-the-fence home run against Unaka in last year’s Sub-State game. Michele has a cannon for an arm. Furthermore, this past summer, Michele became the first fast-pitch player in Midway Youth League history to hit an out-of-the park home run. She cranked it over against Oliver Springs in an important tournament game. Last season, Haley played left field and Michelle played right field for the Lady Waves’ State Tournament team. Their play made a lot of people wonder if they were really freshmen. Both of these young girls will be looked at in old and new positions, possibly catcher or second base.
The team has four freshmen. These four girls are well known amongst the Midway fast-pitch regulars. These freshmen have played together for the past seven years and have many accomplishments under their own belts. These girls have ruled the Tri-County League and finished near the top of several Youth League state tournaments. Freshman pitcher Taylor Narramore has been the starting pitcher of these teams. Taylor is known for accuracy, durability and her change-up. Taylor has worked extremely hard this off-season and hopes to give Hannah some much needed relief. Paige Moree has played in the Youth League for several years and has lots of experience at the catcher position. Paige has a strong arm, a big bat, and can go deep with her power at any given time. Brianne Reynolds is another young player with several years of experience. Brianne has played center field in Youth League and for Midway Middle School. Brianne also has a strong arm and can hit the long ball, which she has done in Youth League several times. Ainsley Presswood is the last freshman and has been the team motivator for several years in Youth League and for the Middle School. Ainsley always has fun but can also be counted on in a pinch, as seen late in one Tri-County League Championship game. In a tied game with two strikes on her, Ainsley hit one deep to the outfield and sped around the bases for an in-the-park homer to win the game for her team.
Now you have met the 2008 Lady Waves team .The season will be starting off the weekend of March 7 with a tournament at Rockwood. Regular season will start March 10th at Oakdale. The first home game will be March 19 at 5:30pm against Kingston. If you have not seen these Lady Waves in the last few years you are missing a real treat. As most have heard, these Midway girls can really play softball. This writer has been with the team most of the last six months. These girls have huge hearts and love to play softball. The new coaches have worked the girls hard and the players have responded. These girls have earned and deserve the support of the SOR community. See ya at the field.