Northside to seek what they’ve sown

Not many people are as excited for the upcoming season as Northside’s Head Coach Kylie McHugh. In her third year as the softball head coach, McHugh believes this is a special year.

“I see big things in the future for these kids, and I’m really stoked for my seniors because this is their year and we can do something with it,” said McHugh. “They’ve worked hard all four years for this moment. I’m hoping and praying we get a season because I see a lot of big things in our future.”

Over the years, even before McHugh took over as head coach, Northside softball was never the talk of the town. Losing seasons were the norm, and when McHugh first arrived ,she had to flip the culture, because the players just weren’t enjoying the game.

Her biggest struggle was building back up the fun and competitiveness amongst the team, and McHugh feels that she can see what she’s sown this year.

“When I first came in, I had to make a big culture shift. I played ball at Houston County, and we all know they have a season of winning, they just win,” said McHugh. “Coming to Northside, the girls come in defeated anyway because they’re on our side of town and for them, softball is just not as big as it is on the other side of town… (but) I have high expectations for them. Just because we’re Northside and we’re expected to lose, I’m not taking a loss, it’s not an option. I’ve pretty much been trying to instill that in the girls for the last few years and they’ve really bought in to the culture I’m trying to build.”

This season could be the first winning record the Eagles have seen in years.

The Eagles have a core of six juniors to lead the team for the next two seasons. Celina Luna is one of the juniors and she’s coming off an outstanding sophomore year. Luna, who plays pitcher and outfield, finished with a .512 batting average, 44 RBIs, and 12 home runs. She returns as the known standout, but her teammates shouldn’t be overlooked.

Senior catcher and third baseman, Amya Smith, batted a .415 average with 31 RBIs and junior Madelyne Lee has been a top hitter on the team since a freshman. Junior outfielder Casey Ruffin is another one who’s started since a freshman and is one of Northside’s top fielders.

Between their three seniors and six juniors, most have years of starting experience and this season should really show their strides of progression and could be a turnaround year for the program.

Northside’s season opener is against Cedar Shoals in Athens, Ga on August 6 at 6:15 p.m.

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