The Lady Cavaliers enter the softball season having graduated six seniors last year.
Cookeville comes off a defeat in the third round of the regional tournament to close out last season. They finished 18-11 and 5-5 in their district. Coach Jordan Webb said he wants the players this year to understand their level of competition.
“They’re capable of competing with good teams.” Webb said. “They’re capable of doing great things on the field, and play tough and play competitive every game and give themselves a chance and I think if they do things this year, we’re going to have a successful season.”
Cookeville returns seven players, five of whom have varsity experience. The Lady Cavaliers seeks their first trip to state since the 2021 season.
“There’s definitely disappointment for everyone.” Webb said. “We had high expectations for ourselves last year, and we didn’t fulfill the goals that we set out to do.”
Webb said while his team did a lot of great things last season, they just did not perform their best when it mattered most.
“That’s part of sports. That’s part of being competitive.” Webb said. “Going into this season, we want to have the same mindset to play well for the whole season, to remain competitive, to not crack under the pressure a little bit and at the same time, getting better game in and game out.”
Cookeville will also be without other seniors, who will play volleyball for the Cavaliers this season. Webb said he plans to fill in the other vacant spots with freshmen and sophomores who will experience their first varsity play this season.
Cookeville’s next matchup occurs on Thursday as they stay home to face Smyrna.
