Coaches believe Latta teams will be in the hunt this spring
LATTA — Latta baseball coach Dillon Atkinson and Latta softball coach Jeremy Bates have similar outlooks about their teams this spring.
Both coaches feel like their teams are more than capable of being in the hunt for a state title in May.
“We have a lot of potential. We return a lot of players that have good experience — a lot of experienced guys that have played in a lot of big games,” Atkinson told The Ada News at Latta’s Baseball and Softball Media Day Wednesday afternoon. “These guys are focused and are coming together as a team. I’m really excited to watch them compete this spring.”
Bates feels like the Latta slow-pitch team can compete with the other top squads in Class 4A this season.
“We have just as good a chance as anybody to make a run. We have bats up and down the lineup and we have people I can pull off the bench that can give us some key at-bats with some pop. and we have solid defense all around,” he said. “I feel like we’re every bit as good as anyone else in our class.”
LATTA BASEBALLThe Panthers were 4-0 heading into Media Day and No. 4 in the new Class 2A-1 made up of the 32 biggest schools in the classification.
Latta didn’t allow a run during a three-game stretch heading into a showdown with McAlester Thursday night.
“We’ve played well so far. I’m pretty pleased, especially with our pitching staff. Our staff is pretty strong and that’s really going to help us throughout the course of this spring,” Atkinson said.
Darien Miller is the team’s lone senior and is expected to supply good leadership this spring. Atkinson said Miller can do it all.
“Darien helps us out a lot — on the mound, at the plate and in the field,” he said.
Latta won 19 games last fall and earned a trip to the state tournament. One of the things he and assistant coaches John Impson and Lane Burch have focused on leading into the spring season is for the Panthers to show more discipline at the plate.
“We have to keep throwing strikes, make the routine plays and have competitive at-bats. That’s one thing we really stressed all offseason — getting a lot better at the plate and having better team at-bats and finding a way to manufacture runs,” Atkinson said. “If we do that, we’re going to put ourselves in a good to be successful.”
Atkinson said even though Class 2A has been cut in half this season, 2A-1 is still loaded with contenders.
“There are a lot of good teams and a lot of really good coaches out there. You have Dale, Oktaha, Preston, Calera, Cashion — Class 2A-1 is really deep,” he said. “I think there are 15 or 16 teams that have a legitimate shot at making the state tournament. We’re not going to look past anybody. It’s a good Class and you’re going to have to play really well to make it.”
LATTA SOFTBALLThe Latta High School softball team has had to hit the ground running. Some of the team’s key pieces were part of an LHS girls basketball team that just completed a trip to the Class 2A State Tournament.
“With the girls basketball team making a big run, that put us behind. We’re about a week behind on the season,” Bates said.
That didn’t stop Latta from hanging 21 runs on Class 6A opponent Norman North to open the spring campaign.
“We rolled out after about a practice and a half basically and put 21 runs on the scoreboard. We had several people step up … and had four home runs on the day and not from the big names you’re used to. That’s going to be a big part of our success — everybody stepping up and being part of the new lineup,” Bates said.
The Lady Panthers have three seniors it will lean on this year — Savannah Senkel, Talise Parnell and Ayzia Booth.
Senkel is penciled in to play shortstop for Latta.
“She’s a big bat for us in the middle of the lineup. She’s a great base runner and just a great leader on and off the field,” Bates said.
Parnell is one of the best power hitters in Class 4A. As a junior, she blasted 20 home runs. She can play first base or roam the outfield.
Talise Parnell is another big bat for us in the middle of the lineup,” Bates said.
Booth is the definition of a good utility player for Latta.
“She’s a player I can shuffle around a lot. She can play infield or outfield. She’s a kid that knows her job and can go up there and get a hit when she needs to,” Bates said.
The veteran LHS coach said the usual suspects that were contenders in fastpitch — such as Dale, Pocola, Preston, Stroud and Oktaha —will battle to make the state tournament this spring.
“It’s the same people that were good in fastpitch,” he said. “Our class may be the toughest from top to bottom. There are 12 to 14 teams that have a chance to make it to the state tournament. It’s going to be a battle for us.”
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