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Softball senior spotlight 2020

Molly Davis

Ashley Holden

Sydney Pevey

Raylee Ready

Abbey Turnage

The 2020 senior softball class at Lawrence County saw the program reach some great heights during its time on the diamond.

Their freshman season the Lady Cougars won 21 games and the region before losing in the state quarterfinals. As sophomores, they were part of LC going 30-4-1 — an unforgettable season that saw the Lady Cougars lose a close series to Kosciusko in the state finals.

Last year, the team finished 16-8 with another playoff appearance and was poised for another solid campaign this season prior to COVID-19 shutting down spring athletics across the nation.

Coach Marc Howard says the five seniors that made up the 2020 class at LC were the kind of leaders that set the pace for their teammates.

“This group was truly what you wanted your senior leaders to be,” said Howard. “They controlled the team on and off the field and held everyone to a high standard.”

Howard has seen the class grow up as he was their head coach for the last two seasons. The previous six season before that Howard’s wife Meleah was the LC head coach prior to her moving on to be head coach at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

There won’t be a Howard in the dugout next season though as Marc Howard has recently accepted a position coaching junior high basketball at his alma mater, Bogue Chitto.

Lawrence County announced this week that they’ve hired Alexandria Harris — an alum of the school of who played and coached at Alcorn State — to be the next head softball coach.

For Howard, the memories of his final class at Lawrence County are of a group that did everything he asked — on and off the field.

“Coaching them was fun and easy,” said Howard. “They worked hard and proved it on the field which led us to the success we had — they believed in our team mottos ‘Cougar Be Hard’ and ‘Be the Best.’”

Molly Davis

The daughter of Jody and Anna Davis, Molly plans to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College and major in nursing. The epitome of a team player according to her coach, Davis played multiple positions in her career and was a standout outfielder.

Ashley Holden

The daughter of Anita and the late Cory Holden, Ashley plans to attend Jones College where she’ll major in diagnostic medical sonography. A versatile and athletic player, Holden will be part of the cheerleading squad at Jones next year.

Sydney Pevey

The daughter of Jason and Casey Pevey, Sydney plans to attend Jones College and major in secondary education. A smooth fielding infielder that was a Daily Leader All-Area selection last year, Pevey will be part of the softball team at Jones.

Raylee Ready

The daughter of David and Shawna Ready, Raylee plans to attend Copiah-Lincoln Community College and study pharmaceutical sciences with plans to one day be a dentist. A corner infielder who made the Daily Leader All-Area team as a junior, Ready drove in 21 runs last season while batting .387 at the plate.

Abbey Turnage

The daughter of Albert and Elizabeth Turnage, Abbey will attend the University of Southern Mississippi while majoring in elementary education. A standout student who played in the outfield, Turnage was the fastest player on the team and a threat on the base paths.

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