Harlem not fazed by its young team

Harlem High School softball coach Mike Leverett closed practice last week and dragged a hose from near the visitor's dugout to douse the infield.

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After a minute, he directed the spray toward the Bulldogs' home dugout, scattering his players as they prepared to head home.

Leverett and the Bulldogs' softball team will be young this season, with 12 freshman and two sophomores, but the group is determined to enjoy itself.

"We're young, but we have fun together," said Skye Slagle, one of the team's three seniors. "And we play hard."

Harlem opens the season Friday at Patriots Park in a tournament the Bulldogs are host of. The park will also be the site of this year's Region 3-AAAA tournament.

Leverett's team finished runner-up to Evans in last year's tournament. But the makeup of Harlem's roster has changed considerably since then.

Most notable is the graduation of senior Alana Dyson, an All-State selection last year, and a trio of players who went on to play at Georgia Military College.

The number of underclassmen might concern Leverett this season, but he expects the foundation to be laid for future success.

"This is a good bunch," Leverett said. "These girls want to play. They want to be out here. So we'll see."

The Bulldogs seniors say youth shouldn't be much of an obstacle.

The seniors say most of the girls have played together for years, and that many of the underclassmen have the experience from playing multiple years of travel ball.

"We all mesh really well," senior Kayleigh McNair said. "All the girls get along. That's one really good thing about our team."

McNair is one of two solid pitchers returning from last year's team. Sophomore Kristen Mills will also be on the mound.

Leverett does not expect pitching to be a problem. He said some of his younger players have strong arms and can pitch if needed.

He said if there's a concern it's how the young team will perform on the field -- how they respond to certain situations and balls hit their way.

Leverett said he and assistant coach Kim Chambers have been working their players in the field, and said he expects them to improve as the season goes on.

"We're going to surprise some people late in the season," Leverett said. "We may struggle starting out, but around the middle part of the season, I think we're going to surprise some people. I just hope it's not too late."