RHS softball taking advantage of June summer league
Ruston softball coach Lauren Garvie is ready to begin the team’s summer league on Monday, playing against some of the top programs in the area. Photo by Darrell James
Lauren Garvie was taken aback when she heard the news, but in the best way possible.
After spending the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Carthage High School in Carthage, Texas, Garvie came to Ruston ready to build the softball program from the ground up – only to find out about a distinct Louisiana advantage that even a state like Texas, known for pouring back into high school athletics, didn’t have: a true summer league.
“Back in Texas, this was not allowed, at least by the UIL rules” Garvie said. “The rules said that you were not allowed to be on the field with your team in a skill-form capacity for more than three hours a week. So, when I got hired last year and they all said, ‘We play summer league’, I was like, ‘Woah, that’s beneficial.’”
And with the benefit at her disposal, Garvie is eager to get the Lady Bearcats additional reps they need, starting with a month-long summer league at the Ruston Sports Complex against top programs in the area.
The league will also include Cedar Creek, Choudrant, Claiborne Academy, Glenbrook Academy, Quitman and West Ouachita.
With the first week of games starting Monday as Ruston faces Glenbrook and Cedar Creek plays Choudrant, it will start a month when the Lady Bearcats can get a true measuring stick against postseason-tested programs.
“The competitiveness of the teams is a bonus for me,” Garvie said. “It’s honestly about getting cuts in, seeing live balls from someone that’s not me, a real batter and honestly just having time on the field is a theme for this group. We’re going to have lot of seniors come back and juniors and a lot of incoming freshman, so if those big classes mesh, they can really form a program.”
All of Ruston’s opponents in the league won a playoff game this season, including Quitman, Choudrant and Claiborne advancing to the state tournament in Sulphur.
Garvie, preparing for her second season in Ruston, expects the month to allow younger players time to see live at-bats and build better understanding of program expectations before the wins and losses count next spring.
“The more you get to play other teams, you get to know them and the coaches and maybe even ask to play them in-season,” Garvie said. “We’ve got one of the tougher districts in the area and then we’ve got good teams in our city limits so any chance we can play it should make us better.”
Complete league schedule
(Monday June 5) Ruston vs Glenbrook, Choudrant vs Cedar Creek
(Tuesday June 6) Ruston vs Claiborne, Cedar Creek vs West Ouachita
(Monday June 12) Ruston vs Cedar Creek, Choudrant vs Glenbrook, Ruston vs Glenbrook
(Tuesday June 13) Ruston vs West Ouachita, Choudrant vs Claiborne, West Ouachita vs Glenbrook
(Monday June 19) Ruston vs Quitman, Choudrant vs Quitman, Cedar Creek vs Glenbrook
(Tuesday June 20) Ruston vs Cedar Creek, Choudrant vs West Ouachita, Cedar Creek vs Claiborne
(Monday June 26) Cedar Creek vs Quitman, Ruston vs Quitman, Quitman vs Cedar Creek
(Tuesday June 27) Cedar Creek vs West Ouachita, West Ouachita vs Claiborne
