'STAND A CHANCE': THS slow pitch comes into 2026 with high expectations

With five games already in the books, things are already looking up for Tahlequah’s slow-pitch softball.

Through the early stretch of the season, the Lady Tigers have three wins and nine home runs, surpassing both of their totals from last season.

Despite THS and head coach Chris Ray being a perennial State Tournament team in fast pitch, the Lady Tigers haven’t had the same success recently in slow pitch. However, that looks to change this season, as the Lady Tigers boast a deep roster and have high expectations.

“When playoff time rolls around, we’ll stand a chance in the State Tournament,” Ray said. “We haven’t had a chance the past couple of years, but I really and truly think we’ve got as good a chance as possible.”

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Tahlequah’s Addie Davis tags out Owasso’s Kaylee Isam to save a run in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday, Sept. 9 during the fast-pitch season. Davis is one of only two returning players for the slow-pitch team from 2025.

THS already has a two-game sweep of Owasso, and wins over Eufaula and Poteau, with one loss to a Bartlesville team that was in the State Tournament last season.

While there aren’t a lot of returning players from last season and the roster is mainly freshmen, the talent is there this season for the Lady Tigers’ slow-pitch team.

Senior Cadence Kirk is slotted to return as a pitcher and outfielder and junior Addie Davis is set to head the catcher position and second base. Outside of that, 10 of the 12 rostered players are new to slow pitch.

Eight of the 10 new players are freshmen, but many of them had key roles for the Lady Tigers during the fall fast-pitch season. Freshmen Maddie Spradlin, Holly Vick, Kayden Trammel, Alix Kimble, Lilly Garcia, Rylee Cruse, Kallie Stopp and Jordyn Dotson will have key roles in their first season.

Junior Zoie Griffin and sophomore Abby Reneau are also new to slow pitch as transfers.

Part of the process in the offseason was teaching the differences between slow pitch and fast pitch.

“We started back in December and introduced the nuances of hitting slow pitch vs. fast pitch and it took them a couple of weeks to adjust, but they’re seeing the progress,” Ray said. “You’re starting to see them see how slow pitch is about being able to place the ball and seeing how the defense is going to play it.”

On top of the rise in home runs, the Lady Tigers are off to a quick start at the plate. Through five games, Griffin, Davis, Stopp and Trammel are hitting over .500.

So far, Griffin and Kimble are leading the way, with three home runs apiece. Davis has hit two homers and Reneau has one for the Lady Tigers’ nine this season.

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Tahlequah freshman short stop Lilly Garcia catches a popup during the fast-pitch season.

As a team, the Lady Tigers are sporting a .423 batting average with a 1.238 on-base percentage, but Ray thinks they can go higher.

“We’ve got a lot of kids with high batting averages,” he said. “We’re getting more in the bottom of the order, figuring out on windy days you need to hit line drives and ground balls and stuff like that. I think once some of those kids at the bottom of the order figure that out, I think our team average will come up considerably.”

Kirk returns as the veteran of the pitching staff, but Jordyn Dotson is going to add some more depth to the team.

The senior has led the way so far with a majority of the work so far for the Lady Tigers. Dotson has pitched just under two innings, but expects to play a role this season.

“Cadence does a really good job leading the staff,” Ray said. “Jordyn is going to give us another look; she spins it a little differently.”

Defensively, the Lady Tigers are a very versatile team.

On the roster, most players can man more than one position.

“We’ve got some kids who can play multiple positions and can move around,” Ray said. “We’ve got a lot of options and we’re not really limited to what we can do right now, if we can stay away from injuries. Defensively, we make the most out of routine plays. It’s going to take a few more games to understand some nuances of the game.”

After a week off for spring break, the Lady Tigers return to the thick of the schedule with the Pryor Festival, set for Tuesday, March 24.

“We’re considerably better than we were last year; we will see how that will translate into wins and losses,” Ray said.