The Calhoun City Lady Wildcats have several players capable of delivering a big hit when it’s needed, but sophomore Raven Arrington may be one of their best.
She showed exactly that recently in a game against Houston. Arrington stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the Lady Wildcats trailing by four runs in the final inning.
“I was a little nervous, but I just stepped in there determined to get a base hit and drive those runs in and it happened,” she said.
Did it ever happen. Arrington delivered a powerful grand slam easily clearing the fence. It was her second home run of the season.
“It feels like you’ve barely swung, but you’ve really swung really hard,” she said of hitting a home run. “It just hits the sweet spot (on the bat). It’s a great feeling.”
Arrington averaged two hits and two RBIs in the Lady Wildcats first four wins of the season. While she’s experiencing success in slow pitch, it’s fast pitch softball that she prefers.
“I like fast pitch better because of the urgency, especially when I’m catching – throwing them out when they’re trying to steal second,” she said.
In slow pitch she plays in the field, most often third base.
“I like catching (in fast pitch), but I like the field, too. It just depends.”
Arrington is among the Lady Wildcats’ top hitters in fast pitch as well, and suggested the adjustment between the two pitching speeds of the fall and spring isn’t as difficult as some make out.
“Slow pitch you just have to wait for the ball to come down and be patient,” she said. “In fast pitch it’s there.”
More than her personal performance, it’s the team’s success that drives Arrington and she has high hopes for this slow pitch season.
“I think we’re capable of going really far this year,” she said. “We’ve grown really closer as a team and we realize we need to stick together and keep each other up when we’re down. We have great expectations for us this year.”
“We just need to get our hitting to come around. I think our fielding is pretty good, but we need to be hitting better.”
