The Lady Bearcats cheer from the dugout during Tuesday's game against Curry. (Nick Griffin for The Cullman Tribune)
CULLMAN, Ala. – Softball season is here and for the Cullman Lady Bearcats, there will be some new faces on the field and on the coaching staff. Lawayne Morton is entering his first season as head coach of the Lady Bearcats, but he’s already spent a lot of time with Cullman Softball. Morton’s daughter, Hannah Morton, was a standout in the Lady ‘Cats program. She graduated from Cullman in 2017 and earned a spot on the 6A All-State First Team after a big senior season.
Morton is excited about the group of assistants he has to work with this season and has really enjoyed getting to know all of them. Having a strong group of assistants allows Morton to break the staff down into specific position groups, and coach is confident that’ll help this year’s team develop even faster.
“It’s been great,” Morton said. “We’re really fortunate to have the group of coaches that we have. We’ve got four coaches on staff. Heather Carter is our pitching coach, Will Tidwell is our JV coach and he’s also working with the outfielders, and Tyler Pitzing is my assistant on varsity and he’s helping me with the infield. We’re pretty much able to specialize, which is what you want to be able to give these girls, and we’re all on the same page working hard together. I’m just really fortunate to have the coaching staff that I’ve got right now.”
Cullman’s roster is loaded with underclassmen this year, and while they lack experience, Morton is pleased with how the offseason has gone and is ready to see them hit the field and compete.
“We’re really young, but we’ve had a good offseason workout. We’ve worked hard in the fall and in the winter and I’m feeling good about where we’re at right now,” he said. “We’re swinging the bat really well and I think we’re going to have a pretty nice offensive year.”
Cullman didn’t reach its goals in 2018 and this year’s team is ready to bounce back. Morton has seen the girls prepare with an intensity in the offseason and is ready to see what this team can do.
“They’re excited and they’re looking forward to this season. The chemistry of this team and the character of this team is just at an all-time high. They’re working out and playing hard for each other and they just can’t wait to play,” Morton said. “We’re just going to take it one game at a time; that’s the way I approach it. If we can just play one game at a time, that’ll take us where we need to be.”
The Lady Bearcats dropped their home opener Tuesday night against Curry, 6-5 and they’ll try to bounce back and collect their first win when they play Albertville at home on March 4.
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