Jaguars softball coach setting realistic goals for 2020 campaign

2020 Peach Belt Softball Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team	Points
1.	North Georgia (6)	96
2.	Young Harris (5)	92
3.	Columbus State	81
4.	Flagler	69
5.	Georgia College	68
6.	Georgia Southwestern	53
7.	Francis Marion	45
8.	Lander	37
9.	UNC Pembroke	32
10.	Augusta	17
11.	USC Aiken	15

Top players returning Morgan Hunter, right-handed pitcher, senior: Made 25 appearances including 23 starts. She was 4-19 with 16 complete games and two shutouts. She pitched 134.1 innings with a 3.33 ERA. Bella Fernandez and Regan Norfleet, infield/outfield, juniors: Fernandez played in 44 games last season while Norfleet appeared in 38 games. Both have been with the program the the past few years and Brocato is expecting both to step into leadership roles in the absence of McLendon and Frye on the field.

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Top newcomers

Jakayla Sullivan, infielder, sophomore: A transfer from Savannah State, she is slated to start at shortstop this season, and according to Brocato, is athletic, has a strong arm and tons of potential at the plate. Reilly Williams, catcher/infielder, sophomore: A University of Montana transfer, she hit .279 in 30 games last season with seven RBI. Brocato is expecting good things offensively from her. Kelsey Parks, left-handed pitcher/outfielder, freshman: Attended Brookwood High School in Snellville, Georgia. She went 19-7 with a 1.70 ERA and 185 strikeouts her senior year. She fared well during early scrimmages and Brocato believes the Jags will see really good things from her during her time in Augusta. Sydney Tullin, utility player, junior: She was a second-team all-conference at St. Petersburg College. She can play infield, pitch and hit and has been working in the outfield also. Brocato sees tons of potential. Lindsey South, outfield/infield, junior: She is a transfer from Georgia Military College, where she was all-region. She’s a good all-around athletic player.

Key dates

Coker will play a doubleheader in Augusta’s first home game of the season Feb. 11. “They have a great team and are well coached. They are a strong team and that will be a great home opener. We’re excited to host them,” Brocato said. The Jaguars begin conference play March 14 with a doubleheader against Flagler in St. Augustine, Florida. Brocato said although they will be starting the conference play on the road, they always have good games against the Saints. “There’ll be some excitement about it with it being the first road trip,” Brocato said. “I love road trips because all you have to do is just show up and play. We will have had some good competitions from the first month and a half before that, so we should be ready for Peach Belt play come March.” The Jaguars will play four games and travel more than 200 miles on April 4-5. First, they will head to Aiken to face USC Aiken for a Saturday twin bill before heading to Milledgeville, Georgia, to face Georgia College on Sunday. On paper it looks daunting to cover that distance during a 48-hour period, but Brocato said the trip is a relatively easy one to make. “We’ll need our rest for sure, but it could be worse,” she said. Click here to view the softball schedule.