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PJC baseball, softball teams begin seasons
By Brent Wilburn
The Paris News
Published February 5, 2010
As both a coach and former player, Paris Junior College head baseball coach Deron Clark knows all about keeping his expectations at a reasonable level.
The 12th-year Dragons skipper isn’t going to get too hyped this early in the season, but he likes what he has seen so far of his team. PJC opened the season Monday with a pair of road victories over North Central Texas College.
“I hate to get too optimistic this early and get overconfident, but I like the progress this team has made so far,” Clark said. “The stability we’ve been able to establish offensively and defensively has exceeded my expectations so far.”
That stability has come as a result of overall consistency each day the team takes the field, which showed in Monday’s season-opening doubleheader.
“I like the consistency that we’ve gotten day to day,” Clark said. “The same defensive team that you think is going to show up shows up again and again. The same pitching shows up again and again, and it’s the same with the offense. With that consistency comes confidence because you know your identity as a team.”
Part of that success has been caused by some standout players.
On the mound, freshman pitchers Jordan Badarack and Matt Buckmaster, along with sophomore lefty Jordan Baker, have proven to be the team’s top pitchers early in the season.
Offensively, Craig Whiteside, Brad Picha, Gavin Gray, Brian Wuest and Phil Delisle are among the team’s best.
The Dragons were scheduled to travel to face Eastern Oklahoma State College on Friday before hosting the same team on Saturday, but the Friday games are cancelled and the Saturday games are in doubt due to recent rainfall.
The next home game is scheduled for noon Saturday, Feb. 13.
Lady Dragons hoping to take another step forward
The PJC Lady Dragons softball team was two games away from a berth in the NJCAA national softball championship tournament just one season ago.
PJC’s 2009 campaign was ended by the Blinn Lady Buccaneers after a two-game sweep in the championship round of the Region XIV Tournament.
This season, head coach Corey Lyon has given the team a makeover in hopes of advancing to that tournament.
Lyon inherited the team that advanced to the final round of the conference tournament in his first year at the helm. He spent the offseason transforming the roster to what he hopes will lead to even more success for the program.
The team from this past season was composed of power hitters, who belted a school-record 84 home runs. Now, the squad features more speed and athleticism, while still keeping a bit of power for the middle of the order.
“It’s a much different team than we had last year,” Lyon said. “Last year, we were a three-run home run waiting to happen. That’s how we were going to score our runs. This year, we’re more athletic and have a lot of versatility. We still have power and some girls who can hit the ball out of the yard, but this year we’re built to play in all different types of conditions.”
Among the standouts so far this season are returning sophomores Megan Brigance and Taylor Russell, along with freshmen Lauren Smith, Sarah Long and Mattiemae Milligan.
The Lady Dragons began their season by splitting in a pair of games against Carl Albert State College. They lost the first game, 13-9, but rebounded to win the second game, 5-3.
They are scheduled to travel to face Grayson County College in two games at 1 p.m. Friday. Their next home game is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 16, against Eastern Oklahoma College.
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