Published: 05:39 AM, Sat Jun 12, 2010
All-region softball: Two friends, a slugger and a team that didn't quit
Cape Fear coaches Jeff McPhail and Mack Page talk every day, but this was one topic neither wanted to discuss.
The infield hadn't even begun to thaw, and the Colts' season already appeared lost. After police busted up an off-campus high school party during Christmas break, the resulting disciplinary action made waves from Eastover to Stedman.
Sports throughout the school were affected, and softball wasn't exempt. Five players expected to start when the season kicked off in March couldn't suit up until April 1, punishment for violating Cumberland County Schools' Athletic Code of Conduct regarding alcohol consumption.
Overnight a team expected to challenge Jack Britt for the Mid-South crown became a middle-of-the-pack finisher. Freshmen would be called on to start and produce from day one, and doubters expected this to disrupt team chemistry when the veterans returned.
"I know a lot of teams around the county and a lot of people around the county were not expecting us to do anything," shortstop Leah Jones says. "And at our school we knew everybody was as devastated as we were. It wasn't just softball, it was more than that. It really hurt our community."
But two coaches with construction backgrounds who know a little bit about hard work had different plans. So did Jones, who didn't view her chase of the state's single-season home run record as a quest for personal glory. She simply wanted the school to have something to feel good about.
Together, they spurred the Colts within one win of a trip to the Class 4-A state final four. Instead of commiserating about growing pains, the team celebrated 24 victories, a split of the conference's regular-season championship and a tournament crown. Jones knocked 18 home runs to become North Carolina's long ball queen.
A season that started with uncertainty ends with McPhail and Page sharing Cape Fear coach of the year honors for the first time. Jones' numbers showed why she'll vie for a starting spot at N.C. State next spring, closing her high school career as the region's player of the year.
None of them, though, will put their accomplishments above this team. The group everybody expected to fall apart didn't even crack.
"Before every game, they all went to the Subway across from Maxwell Road where the Food Lion is," Page says. "After every game they loaded up and went to Mi Casita, all of them - not 10 out of 12, 12 out of 12, all of them. They wanted us to do what they expected us to do - help them win."
A rough start
McPhail and Page aren't ones for babying their players, so this season started with a trip to Greenville to scrimmage some of the better programs in Eastern North Carolina.
Things didn't start well, with the girls managing only one run in a big loss to Hunt. Defenders booted the ball, batters were overmatched and the pitching wasn't there.
One parent was so disgusted that he approached Page afterward with a suggestion the coach find a team Cape Fear could beat. When Page asked him why the girls should be taught to play down to a lesser squad's level, the parent replied, "Because they aren't having any fun."
"I said, 'Let me tell you something. When you take your daughter home, take her to the fair. That way she'll have fun,' " Page says. " 'Fun to me is winning ball games.' "
This tough-love approach has become gospel during McPhail's and Page's four years together. Girls know before they leave Mac Williams Middle School what awaits them if they keep playing softball in high school - intense practices, no excuses and nothing less than full speed.
Both coaches got into the sport because of their daughters and haven't left because they're graduated and gone. Cape Fear graduates - McPhail in 1980, Page in 1976 - their equal partnership is based on friendship and mutual respect for each others' abilities.
Page is the pitching guru, who has an unforgiving underhand delivery the players face every day in batting practice. With his shoulder not as spry as it used to be, he now delivers from less than 20 feet away to challenge the girls' reaction time.
McPhail is a machine gun when he steps up to the plate for fielding drills. His rapid-fire shots to the different positions prepare the girls for high-pressure games in which one slip can be the difference between winning and losing.
Construction workers during the day, they don't slow down upon arriving at the ball park. During games they can be heard shouting criticism mixed with encouragement to keep the players on their toes. An approach that clicked with this young squad as it went 24-4 overall and matched last year's trip to the sectional final.
"I just feel like the kids really feed off us," McPhail says. "If we're just standing around, they're not going to be excited going to the game or while they're in the game."
A record to remember
This wasn't the senior season Jones envisioned. It was better.
The only four-year player on the roster when practice began, she shouldered the extra responsibility and didn't let the squad slide on its goals. She wanted to win the Mid-South regular-season and tournament championships and make a trip to Walnut Creek, and so did the team.
"She kind of kept everything together," McPhail says. "She was just a leader for us at that moment. So she did her part playing and also did her part keeping everyone together."
Instead of treating the freshmen as temporary replacements, she engaged them. She didn't just tell them what was expected to be a member of the Cape Fear softball team, she showed them. If they weren't getting it, she asked them why.
But she also had other, more personal plans. The North Carolina high school record for home runs in a season was 12, and Jones set her mind on breaking that mark before the season even started.
"I didn't want to do it for me," Jones says. "I wanted to do it for our school, our softball program, everybody who's been around and followed me and been out and supported me my whole life. This small town is where I live, and it's all about community and being involved with our school."
If that was her expectation, she never uttered a word to Page and McPhail. As the long balls started to add up, they didn't even mention the record to her. The only change came in Page's delivery in practice, feeding her plenty of balls outside the strike zone.
An outside pitch is what Jones connected on for home run No. 13 against Seventy-First on April 23. The ball traveled an estimated 215 feet, clearing the fence with room to spare. She threw up her hands in celebration and relief, but she was far from done.
By the time the season ended in May with a 2-0 loss to Harnett Central in the sectional championship game, she had 18 home runs, a .550 batting average, 52 RBI and Mid-South player of the year honors. Page says she would have shattered the career home run record of 27 if not for a back injury that shelved her sophomore season. She is tied for second with 24, but that doesn't bother her one bit.
"It was probably the most fun I've ever had in sports," Jones says. "It's hard not to say that because it was such a fun year."
All-region softball team
First team
Brittany Bruce, Lumberton , junior, shortstop
Batted .537 with six doubles, six triples and a home run. … Named to Southeastern first team.
Jesse Crist, Jack Britt, junior, third base
Batted .564 for the season … Knocked in 24 runs, second most on the team. Sported a field percentage of .934.
Emily Hester, Fayetteville Christian, freshman, pitcher
Led the team hitting .500 for the season. … Posted on-base percentage of .635. … Finished 13- 2 on the mound with a 1.85 ERA and three no hitters — two of which were perfect games.
Leah Jones, Cape Fear, senior, shortstop
Set a new state record for home runs in a season with 18. … Named Mid-South player of the year. … Finished with a .550 batting average, 44 runs and 52 RBI. … Knocked 16 doubles.
Toni Jones, Gray's Creek, senior, catcher
Finished with a .528 batting average. … Knocked in 30 RBI. … Scored 24 runs and hit three home runs.
Sara Norris, Midway, senior, second base
Led the team with a .524 batting average. … Hit four doubles. ... Committed only three errors and had 17 put outs in the field.
Josey Oxendine, Purnell Swett, junior, pitcher
Finished with a 1.82 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings. … Led the team with a .506 batting average and 11 doubles.
Mary Katherine Pegram, Harnett Central, senior, pitcher
Named Greater Neuse River pitcher of the year. …Sported a 1.14 ERA … Struck out 122 batters and walked only 42.
Caitlin Sandy, Jack Britt, senior, shortstop
Hit .508 for the season. … Led the team with 33 hits, 28 runs scored and 14 doubles. … Made All-Cape Fear region squad four times.
Olivia Scarborough, Cape Fear Christian Academy, senior, pitcher
Batted .714 with three home runs. … Struck out 184 batters for a 0.26 ERA. … Named Carolina Christian Conference player of the year and to all-state squad. Committed to play at Campbell.
Lindsey Vicary, Cape Fear, senior, pitcher
Led Cumberland County with a 1.35 ERA. … Sported a 13-3 record. … Struck out 144 this year. … Named Mid-South tournament MVP.
Caroline Womble, Western Harnett, junior, shortstop
Batted .603 with eight extra-base hits. … Scored 28 runs and stole 19 bases. … Recorded only two errors and had a field percentage of .976.
Second team
Shae Barnes, Scotland, sophomore, center field: Hit .430 with four doubles and two home runs. … Knocked 21 RBI and scored 28 runs.
Kasey Dent, Lumberton, sophomore, catcher: Hit .450 with 19 RBI, seven doubles and four triples. ... Named to Southeastern first team.
Moira Dial, Purnell Swett, sophomore, third base: Hit .469 with a team-high 29 RBI and eight doubles. … Named to Southeastern first team.
Brittany Freeman, Cape Fear, sophomore, second base: Hit .425 with 12 doubles and 24 RBI. ... Selected to Mid-South second team.
Brittany Gibson, Scotland, senior, short stop: Committed to Pitt Community College. … Hit .427 with nine doubles and three triples. … Knocked in 17 runs.
Sarah Jackson, Cape Fear, junior, pitcher/designated hitter: Hit .450 with 18 RBI. … Finished 11-1 on the mound with a 1.47 ERA and 59 strikeouts.
Jessi Lane, Harnett Central, senior, second baseman: Hit .380 for the season. … Knocked six home runs, four of them out of the park, to go with 16 RBI. … Earned first-team all conference with a .987 fielding percentage. … Committed to Campbell.
Tori Williford, Harnett Central, senior, third baseman: Hit .391 with a .554 slugging percentage and 15 RBI. … Sported a .947 fielding percentage with 30 put outs, 59 assists and five errors. Named Greater Neuse River player of the year.
McKenzie Weaver, Jack Britt, sophomore, pitcher: Hit .438 with eight doubles and a team-best 29 RBI. … Finished 16-2 on the mound with 116 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA.
Amanda Wells, Gray's Creek, senior, pitcher: Led Cumberland County with 168 strikeouts. … Was second in the county with 125 innings pitched. Finished with a 3.02 ERA and a 14-6 record
Kerstine Womack, Western Harnett, junior, pitcher: Hit .440 with 12 extra-base hits and three home runs. … Scored 39 runs and stole 25 bases. … Led the team as the starting pitcher, recording 56 strikeouts.
Khrystine White, Whiteville, freshman, center field: Hit .515 with five doubles, six triples and one home run. … Knocked in 25 runs. … Sported a .913 fielding percentage.
Staff writer Paul Shugar can be reached at shugarp@fayobserver.com or 486-3513.