While the Lady Trojans have been the best team in Marion County this spring and are expected to make a deep run in the postseason, they have some revenge to exact first.
A year ago, West Marion went into the final week of the regular season a perfect 11-0 before falling 9-8 and 5-3 in back-to-back games to rival Columbia to drop to 11-2. Because that final series with Columbia had to be pushed back due to weather, the Lady Trojans had just one day off before having to take on Southeast Lauderdale in the first round of the playoffs.
West Marion was without its top pitcher, Olivia Miller, in Game 1 of the series because she threw seven innings back-to-back nights against Columbia. West Marion’s No. 2 pitcher was in a walking boot, and one of its top hitters aggravated an injury against Columbia and couldn’t get back in time for Game 1. Without three of their best players (Miller was able to play but not pitch), the Lady Trojans were blown out 13-4 by Southeast Lauderdale.
However, with the Lady Trojans nearly at full strength for Game 2 following two days of rest, they went toe-to-toe with Southeast Lauderdale but ultimately lost 13-12 in nine innings. And just like that, West Marion went from being undefeated to losing four straight and being swept out of the playoffs in a five-day span.
Now, in 2022, West Marion (20-3) is once again one of the top teams in Class 3A and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. But lo and behold, it’s once again Southeast Lauderdale (8-14) who is waiting for them in their first playoff series. The Lady Tigers are coming off a two-game sweep of Franklin County, winning the first game 18-7 and pitching a shutout in Game 2, 17-0.
“They got pretty much the same people,” West Marion head coach Cory Odom said of Southeast Lauderdale, “pretty much all juniors and seniors.”
While both teams return many of the same players from last season, Odom said as long as the Lady Trojans hit the ball and play sound defense like he knows they can, he believes they have a good chance.
To get ready for the postseason, West Marion played a scrimmage Saturday against North Pike (Class 4A runner-up in 2021) and was down just 2-1 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. But then the Lady Trojans committed a few errors, which led to a seven-run inning, as they lost 9-2.
Odom said that inning is exactly what West Marion needs to avoid in the postseason.
“I feel good about,” he said. “The girls are playing good softball right now.”
The first-year head coach described Southeast Lauderdale as a veteran team that hits the ball really, really well.
While most coaches try to have their players steer clear of “getting revenge,” Odom realizes it’s impossible for the players not to think about wanting to change the narrative after what happened this time last year.
“The girls have been talking about that. When they saw we were going to have a chance to play them, they were saying we need to get some payback here,” he said.
In years past, the playoffs for softball were structured differently than baseball. The lower-seeded team hosted Game 1, then the higher-seeded team hosted Games 2 and 3, if necessary, in a doubleheader. Now, the team with home-field advantage (higher-seeded team) hosts Game 1, travels for Game 2 and hosts Game 3, if necessary. The 1-1-1 format gives the higher-seeded team, which is West Marion in this case, a truer home-field advantage. Odom said it also makes Game 1 that much more important.
Game 1 will be at The Swamp Friday night at 6, with Game 2 scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday. Game 3, if necessary, will be Monday at West Marion at 6 p.m
