By Mike London
Salisbury Post

CHINA GROVE — In 2023, Carson’s softball team was 18-9 and reached the fourth round of the 3A state playoffs.

In 2024, Carson was 4-19. But it’s not like the coaching staff suddenly forgot how to coach.

High school coaches are important, but games are won by players. In 2023, Carson head coach Hunter Gibbons had a dominant pitcher, Lonna Addison, who is thriving now for Division I Winthrop University. Carson also had Landry Stewart, an ideal offensive catalyst who starts now for Pfeiffer University.

There were other good, experienced players wearing orange and blue in 2023, Phoebe Cole and Holly Stowe, and so on, but at least 75 percent of what happens on a softball diamond comes down to the person in the circle and the person behind the plate.

“Since Lonna, since we had that good senior class that Lonna was part of, we’ve been rebuilding and I’d say we’re still rebuilding,” Gibbons said. “But I do like the talent that we have. I like our young pitcher. We’ve got some good freshmen.”

Carson was a contender for championships for many years. If the Cougars are going to get back to that level, if they’re going to be able to compete with East Rowan, West Rowan and South Rowan, the continued development of sophomore pitcher Caylee Snow is going to be a huge part of it.

Snow turned in two stellar games recently in the South Piedmont Conference against Robinson and Concord. The Robinson game marked the first SPC victory of the season for the Cougars (2-5, 1-5). Carson lost the Concord game, 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh. Concord is pretty good this year, but Snow put up zeroes from the second inning through the sixth. She struck out 10 and walked two, and you can win a lot of games with those numbers.

“Caylee had two straight games with 10-plus strikeouts,” Gibbons said. “We’re hoping she can keep building on that, but the league we play in is really tough. There aren’t going to be many easy ones.”

Walks are the key number for a young pitcher, even more than strikeouts. You can’t defend walks, but Carson normally plays good defense, so the Cougars can get outs if opponents have to put it in play.

Whitley Arnott, a star pitcher at South Rowan and West Rowan before moving on to the college ranks, coaches at China Grove Middle School and assists with the Carson pitchers. Senior Madison Clark will pitch some, but mostly the Cougars will rely on Snow.

Gibbons can teach hitting as well as anyone, although it’s unlikely any of the Cougars she’s coaching now had the lightning bat speed she possessed in her playing days. Gibbons was South Piedmont Conference and Rowan County Player of the Year back-to-back in 2014 and 2015. Then she had a strong college career at Western Carolina. She’s still second in the Catamounts’ record book for career homers (35) and RBIs (129) and was all-conference three seasons.

Carson has been shut down by excellent pitchers several times in the early going, but Gibbons is confident the Cougars will get the bats going more consistently.

“We’ve still got a few quirks to work out,” she said. “But we’ve got some girls who are smoking the ball. They’re killing it.”

Carson is in solid shape at catcher with junior Alyssa Benner and freshman Leah Troutman. Troutman has been a bright spot for the offense. She’s been getting on base almost 60 percent of the time and she has five steals.

Senior shortstop Emma Woodlief has numerous multiple-hit games and sports a .471 batting average. Senior second baseman Abigail Harrelson leads the team with six runs scored.

Sophomore McKenzie Powers is usually the third baseman. She’s quiet but is gaining confidence. Senior Caroline Snow usually handles first base.

Sophomore Piper Thonen, a volleyball player who is still pretty new to softball, has swung the bat with authority and has earned the DP role on Gibbons’ lineup card.

Clark, a Pfeiffer recruit with a strong bat, has eight RBIs and holds down left field. Senior Peyton Hollar has a good glove in center field.

In right field, Gibbons is auditioning a group of freshmen — Jayda Poole, Anna Beck, Gentry Yarborough, Zoey Moore and Sarah Reeder.

“We’ve got a good group of girls, and we’re going to get better,” Gibbons said. “There’s a lot of softball still to be played.”