RHS softball opens season at North DeSoto
Photo by Darrell James
Cala Wilson is expected to be a big part of Ruston's 2024 softball season.
Softball season has officially arrived in Lincoln Parish.
The Ruston High Lady Bearcats, who open their 2024 season tonight on the road against North DeSoto at 5:30 p.m., look to improve upon last year’s 4-23 finish and continue to build a strong foundation of culture within the program with a host of productive returners.
For second-year head coach Lauren Garvie, this season is an opportunity for Ruston’s veteran leaders to impart a legacy and standard for their younger teammates for 2024 and beyond.
“This year, I keep telling the girls this can be a make or break year, not in terms of wins or losses, but the legacy and reputation of the program and what they want to teach the other girls,” Garvie said. “Obviously we want to win, and we want to make playoffs. Nobody can deny a previous record, but we can’t focus on that. We have to focus on the here and now and be the same 24/7.”
Ruston’s pitching staff and batting order will be headed up by senior Cala Wilson, a signee to Lamar University. Wilson hit for a team-high .419 batting average in 2023 with 5 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, and only 3 strikeouts across 73 plate appearances. In the circle, Wilson struck out 69 batters across 94 1/3 innings pitched.
Garvie said when Wilson isn’t asked to pitch, Sage Tolar, a sophomore, and Rilee Atwood, a junior, will get opportunities.
While both pitched less than 35 innings last season, Atwood and Tolar did most of their damage at the plate — combining for 20 singles, 3 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, and 20 RBIs.
Other names to keep an eye on are senior Murphy DeMoss, who hit .214 last season with 3 triples and 9 RBIs, along with Morgan Foster, a junior committed to McNeese State, who hit .333 with 3 triples and 4 RBIs last spring.
Seniors Allie Richardson (1 home run, 9 RBIs) and Jojo Fernandes (8 RBIs) will also see the field a lot this season.
“We’re still growing but I like where we’re headed,” Garvie said. “I think the leaders have started to change the way we talk about Bearcat softball. It’s no longer, ‘hey do this because I want to win as a player.’ It’s now, ‘hey, let’s do this so our team and program can win.’”
