For some week’s the Pike Liberal Arts Lady Patriots and Charles Henderson High School Trojans have been ranked within the top 10 for the Alabama Sport Writers Association baseball and softball polls. And, both coaches are attributing it to a solid stream of success for their programs.

“It’s great,” said Charles Henderson head coach Derek Irons. “I think the rankings are kind of a byproduct of the work you put in and the way you perform. It’s not something you set out to do, but it’s a result of our guys playing really well over a long period of time this year. Being recognized by the Sports Writers Association says a lot about what our guys have accomplished this far.”

Allie Park, head coach for the PLAS softball team, said she felt like her girls were finally playing with a confidence she hadn’t seen out of them before.

“They know they’re playing well and doing well, and I think we’ve finally got that extra boost of confidence that we can win even though we’ve had to switch around positions,” Park said. “We are still a solid team. They have a little chip on their shoulder, and as a coach you kind of want them to. They play better when they have that confidence.”

Park said that despite setbacks of players being injured or sick during the season, the girls were still playing at the level she expected of them.

“The girls are doing great,” Park said. “I’ve had to move a bunch of girls into different locations and positions. We’ve had a coupe sick, out and injured so coming back from spring break and winning against Escambia yesterday was really big for us.”

Irons said for his team they were playing well and could battle to win games when all pistons aren’t firing like they should.

“I think if I had to point the one thing we were strongest in, it’s our offense,” Irons said. “We have a lot of weapons in terms of guys that hit with power, guys that can run, but our major strength has been is our ability to win when we aren’t hitting.”