Henderson County softball is red-hot heading into third straight state appearance

HENDERSON, Ky. — A special Henderson County senior class is soaking up the final moments in the Lady Colonels uniforms it already accomplished so much wearing.

Anna Willett, JaMaya Byrum and Kendal Hargrove hope to make a few more special memories during the Kentucky state softball tournament, which starts this weekend, before embarking on their next chapter. Willett will trade in her spikes for scrubs to pursue a nursing career while the latter two will keep playing at Liberty and Murray State, respectively.

The No. 5-ranked Lady Colonels (30-5) are among the top contenders to compete for the title and prevent Ballard from becoming the first repeat champion since 2007-08. This is their third consecutive state appearance, and they're red-hot after outscoring their four postseason opponents 54-0 on the way to another Second Region title.

KHSAA softball: Why Henderson County is once again among Kentucky's best teams

Perhaps this June will mark the culmination of the seniors' hard work — they were bounced from the first round in 2021 and the quarterfinals last year.

"It hasn't really set in until about this week," Willett said. "Just like last year, this is how it all went. We got up early in the morning and practiced and worked hard in the heat and everything. It's finally starting to set in that this is what we're running for again."

"Since the beginning of the season, it's the first thing on our mind," sophomore Anna Kemp added. "We come out here to get better and focused just so that we can have a chance at this state title."

It's been another impressive spring on the diamond for Henderson, which leads the state with 66 home runs. Byrum also broke the program's single-season record with her 13th dinger in the Sixth District championship. Meanwhile, Kemp (20-5, 1.67 ERA) has been dominant in the circle, tossing 204 strikeouts in 138 1/3 innings.

Ending a season at the University of Kentucky in Lexington has become routine for many of the Lady Colonels, especially those on the girls' basketball team who reached the state semifinal in the winter.

"You go to state in one sport and you see how awesome it is," Kemp said. "And you want to go to state in another sport. It's definitely been that (way) for me. Getting that experience and seeing Lexington and UK and that kind of feel of that environment is super awesome."

The senior class has helped build this program since enduring a 9-16 season as seventh graders. When coach Shannon Troutman took over the following year, they experienced an immediate turnaround by finishing 26-8. Although there was no 2020 season because of the pandemic, they've gone 90-19 since reaching high school.

They learned through their failures and used them as fuel to becoming one of the top softball teams in the state.

"We didn't exactly have the outcome that we wanted (in the postseason), but we knew that it was a great start," Byrum said. "We wanted to continue to rise above that, learn from it, take it back to practice, watch more film."

Expectations have been raised with success. Troutman mentioned earlier this spring that his team could have been playing much better despite another fast start. And, well, he seems to have been correct. The Lady Colonels are on a tear lately, winning 18 of their last 19 games. They've pitched shutouts in 11 in this stretch.

Kemp had a 12-strikeout outing in the Second Region championship. Willett has recorded at least one hit in every postseason game. Both she and Hargrove are hitting over .550 in the postseason.

"Man, these girls have really dialed it up," Troutman said. "I've been so proud of them. They've been locked in when they're at the plate hitting. They've played great defense. We've had incredible pitching by Anna Kemp. It just seems like everyone's game has risen toward the end of the season."

Henderson County begins its state tournament journey at 5 p.m. CDT Friday against No. 6 Great Crossing (30-4). Troutman calls the two teams evenly matched, though the Warhawks are making their first state tournament appearance after winning the 11th Region final. They're also the only team to beat top-ranked Ballard.

Seniors Delani Sullivan and Camryn Lookadoo, both committed to play collegiately at UK, have combined for 11 home runs and 98 RBIs. Sullivan, in particular, is a tough out as she boasts a .532 batting average and is tied for third in the state in triples and fourth in RBIs.

"Their defense is also very good," Willett said. "They're very smart and their coaching is good. We just need to get ahead early, getting as many runs as we can, being aggressive on the bases. Just being aggressive at the plate and not making the silly mistakes on the field will definitely put us ahead."

Still, the goal for Henderson County to is focus on itself. The Lady Colonels have confidence after their previous two trips to Lexington. Could this be the year?

"I honestly believe that if we play our game and we play at the top level that we can play at, there's not very many teams that will beat us," Troutman said. "So that's my main concern is that we're ready to play."

Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on Twitter @Twashington490.

Kentucky high school softball state tournament schedule

Games will be played at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington. All times CDT. Streaming available via NFHS Network.

Friday, 5 p.m. – Henderson County (30-5) vs. Great Crossing (30-4)

Saturday, 8 p.m. – First-round winner vs. either No. 17 Harrison County (31-7) or No. 22 Central Hardin (32-8-1)

June 9, 4 p.m. – Semifinal

June 10, 2 p.m. – Championship

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Kentucky state softball tournament: Henderson County is red-hot