The Manila Lady Lions are looking to make improvements up and down the lineup and return to the regional tournament where they fell in the first round last year . Coach Jarrod Bailey returns some key performers from last year including sophomore pitcher Hadley Cohn . Cohn has great control and movement and is a fierce competitor in the circle . She also has good power and discipline at the plate hitting at the top of the lineup . Shelby Harrison is another solid hitter . Harrison will hit in the three hole and play first base . Freshman Madison Tune will provide a spark to the lineup in her first year . Tune is a great athlete and very savvy with a good knowledge of the game . Coach Bailey believes the key to success for his team is finding ways to overcome adversity . He feels his team ’ s strength is their mental toughness . NEA Sports predicts the Lady Lions will show improvement this season in the 3A-3 and return to the regional tournament with a chance to take that next step into the state tournament .
The Manila Lions will return a young group to the diamond for the 2024 baseball season . Manila will have 16 total players with six being sophomores and two being freshman . Coach Jason Evers will look to a pair of seniors in Jaydon Goff and Drake Morris to provide leadership for his squad . Goff and Morris are the only two seniors on the team . Goff is the team ’ s most seasoned player as he will start behind the dish . Goff led the team in batting average a season ago and will look to be the anchor in the lineup . Morris provides great versatility . He will spend time at multiple positions . He has solid speed on the base paths . Coach Evers likes how both men have stepped up in leadership roles . The Lions do have a good core of young pitching . Multiple players return with experience on the mound . Isaac Moore tossed innings last year as a freshman . He will be looked upon to help lead the starting rotation . Junior Jaxon Churchill is another pitcher for Manila . Moore and Churchill both have good control with nice curveballs . Another junior pitcher will be Matthew Walker . He throws with the most velocity but is still learning the art of pitching . An additional junior is Beau Miller . He brings the best command to the mound . Zeke Donner will provide some pitching for the team as well . The Lions do have depth in the pitching staff . Coach Evers believes that defensively , they should be very good . There are multiple players that provide lots of versatility in the field . Playing time will ultimately be determined on who can hit the baseball . Look for the Lions to be in somewhat of a transition period as they hope to steal a spot to go to the regional tournament .
The Jonesboro Hurricane are looking to a very young squad to help them improve on their 14-16 record from last season . Coach Mark Dobson is hoping to use the momentum from the trip to the state tournament and a mixture of experience with his 15 freshmen to get back to the postseason . Senior Nick Falls will be providing the leadership needed as he pitches and patrols the outfield . Falls is at the top of a short list of returners . Sophomore Asa Myers could play shortstop , third , or pitch for the Hurricane . Myers throws in the low 80s and mixes pitches well . Jordan Noell will also see some time on the mound when he is not at third for JHS . Those three should also provide some pop in the lineup and generate some runs . Junior Rylan Jones is a left handed pitcher that throws in the mid-80s and can play first base . Jones suffered a torn ACL in his last football game , so Coach Dobson isn ’ t sure when he will be back . Leading that large freshmen group in hopes of making an impact is Luke Weatherly . Weatherly is a catcher with 2.0 pop time and can step on the mound and throw in the low 80s . Kameron Davis brings speed to the outfield and the lineup . Davis can also eat up some innings on the mound when needed . Coach Dobson believes a key to his team ' s success is to keep scores low with pitching and defense . Being young , the Hurricane may experience some growing pains early , especially with a challenging schedule , but look for that experience to prove worthy late in the season and for Jonesboro to get back to the state tournament .
Coach Noah Johns takes over as head coach of the Jonesboro Lady Hurricane softball program in hopes of turning around last season ’ s 6-24 record . JHS fell in the first round of the state tournament , but Coach Johns hopes to use a lot of new faces to return to the postseason . “ Keys to success will be to limit unforced errors and pitch consistent strikes ,” Coach Johns said . “ We have good hitters and decent fielding ability , we just are struggling on the pitcher front and lack experience . A lot of new faces to the team this year that need some time to develop .” Rhea Bewley leads the returning players for the Lady Canes . The three year starter at catcher has very good awareness , a great swing , and is a coach on the field . EK Harris is a very strong hitter that can play anywhere in the field and will be one of the ladies looking to help fill the void at pitcher . Meadow Jones is an infielder with great range , can hit the ball well , and is a great team player . Haven Moore is an amazing infielder up the middle at second base or shortstop . JHS can always count on her to make the routine play , and she hopes to produce at the plate . Several new faces will make an immediate impact for Jonesboro this year . Senior Kyla Yancey will rotate between pitcher and third base this year , while freshman Ella Green will be the starting center fielder on opening day . Juniors MJ Carr and Easton McDaniel will also contribute . Carr will play a lot of different positions , including backing up Bewley behind the plate . McDaniel will rotate different positions as well and will be a good base runner for the Lady Hurricane . A mix of newcomers and experienced players should take some time to mesh , but look for the Jonesboro Lady Hurricane to put it together in time to show some improvement and return to the state tournament .