The Lady Blue Devils of Statesboro have improved exponentially over the past few seasons under head coach Jim Simmons. Unfortunately, the team’s growth on the field has not translated to the win column—yet.
    The team is coming off a three-win season, a two-win improvement from the year prior. Coach Simmons has a young squad on the field again this year, with just one senior on the roster. But the Lady Blue Devils’ youth may play a big factor in this year’s success.
    “We’re very young from an age standpoint,” Simmons said. “All the sophomores last year were varsity players, so they have a year of playing experience under their belt. We have a good group of incoming freshman that our with us right now. They are talented girls that have played a good bit of softball.”
    Simmons will have 17 softball players at his disposal for this year’s team, many of which played softball in the summer.
    Simmons said this group of girls participated well in the summer by attending summer workouts and getting stronger in the weight room. Despite the growth of his team in a short period of time, Simmons acknowledged that his team is not quite ready to compete with the “elite” teams in the region.
    The Lady Blue Devils finished 2-6 in the region and finished No.4 in the sub-region last year. SHS advanced to the region playoffs, but were swept by Ware County.
    This year, SHS will play close to 12 non-region games before the team’s first region game Aug. 25 against Effingham County.
    “Things are looking up. We’re moving forward. I’m still not sure if we’re ready to compete against the elites of our region, but I know we’re going to be more competitive. The girls are great and they’re doing a great job,” Simmons said. “Ware County was just better than us and we knew that. But we learned from that and we should be more competitive this year.”
    `Captain and infielder Alexis Costlow will carry some of the load from a leadership standpoint this year. Simmons said his sole senior, who has been a four-year starter for the Lady Blue Devils, has played well throughout the years.
    “She’s not overly vocal. She has a good balance of knowing when to speak, whether it be positive or whether they need a kick in the pants,” Simmons said. “She’s very good at managing people. She’s a great leader.”

    Horace Holloman may be reached at (912) 489-9408.