Troy Belles looking to forge new identity in 2016
Published 3:00 am Friday, June 17, 2016
![Messenger Photo/mike hensley The Belles will get their tournament started this evening against Eufaula. Back row from left to right: Kendall Navarre, Maggie Phelps, Raeleigh Beaty, Sydni Garrett and AJ May. Middle row: Abbi Cambell, Ashlyn Shaver, Abbie Barron, Molly Wares and Lexi McLendon Front row: Avery Henderson and Ashelyn Atwell.](https://www.troymessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2016/06/bellesweb-300x169.jpg)
Messenger Photo/mike hensley
The Belles will get their tournament started this evening against Eufaula. Back row from left to right: Kendall Navarre, Maggie Phelps, Raeleigh Beaty, Sydni Garrett and AJ May. Middle row: Abbi Cambell, Ashlyn Shaver, Abbie Barron, Molly Wares and Lexi McLendon Front row: Avery Henderson and Ashelyn Atwell.
The 2016 Troy Belles are looking to make a mark of their own in a league that has seen three consecutive trips to the World Series.
“It has been going pretty good so far,” said Belles head coach Terry Garrett. “We have 12-year olds all the way to 16-year-olds, and we are ready to have some fun. We hit the ball pretty well and we field the ball really well.”
Even with three straight state championships on their resume, the Belles enter the district with little or no pressure to repeat as champions.
“I don’t think there is any pressure because this is a whole new group of girls,” Garrett said. “There are only two girls from last season’s team. These girls get to make their own legacy. We just let them play their own game and have some fun.”
Garrett has coached many of his players over the years and he will rely on past experiences to help him in certain situations, whether it on the mound or while running the bases.
“It’s about knowing their history,” Garrett said. “You have to know if they’re fast or if they are a good bunter, things like that. We have power hitters. There are probably four or five hitters that when they hit it, they’re going to hit it. Making a lineup right now is extremely hard. We need to take things game by game and see how we go.”
The Belles will feature a group of pitchers that Garrett will look at to help carry his team.
“We have one really good pitcher and we have three or four others to help,” Garrett said. “We want to be able to use some of these younger pitchers to get us through the game.”
The Belles will be in the district along with Luverne, Enterprise and Eufaula and Garrett is believes his team has what it takes to advance to the next level.
“If we win two games we are going to state,” Garrett said. “We should have a really good shot at making it to state. The question is can we rely on our second, third and fourth pitchers.”
The Belles will go up against Eufaula in round one on Friday night. Players include Kendall Navarre, Maggie Phelps, Raeleigh Beatym Sydni Garrett, AJ May, Abbi Cambell, Ashlyn Shaver, Abbie Barron, Molly Wares, Lexi McLendon, Avery Henderson and Ashelyn Atwell.