LADY DEVILS AT THE FREEZE OUT

Softball season for the Elkmont Lady Devils opened this season with games at the Freeze Out Tournament in Florence this weekend.  

First Day:
Breaking fast out of the gate, Elkmont burned through Lexington 5-1 and Waterloo, 6-0.

This one is extra sweet! First tournament of my senior season and I hit one over left center!! Can't wait to see what the rest of this season has in store! Blessed to be able to play this sport!!

Dakota 

Second Day:

The Danville Lady Hawks had their wings clipped by Elkmont, 6-1. 

Another "out of the ball park" home run

The Lady Devils finished the tournament undefeated by rolling Sheffield, 9-1.  A great start and hopefully it means our ladies will have a fantastic season.

 

MEET THE NEW VARSITY BASEBALL COACH

Baseball season at Elkmont is opening this week.  The field has been raked and freshly mowed.  Sunny weather in the upper 50s is forecast for the first pitch.  The season opener for the Red Devils includes a new head varsity coach, Zachary Standridge. Hill Spirit had an opportunity to visit with our new coach for his thoughts on his first season at the helm.

Background:

Coach Standridge cut his teeth on baseball, playing at East Lawrence.  He later attended Calhoun and then Martin Methodist to achieve his education degree while representing each school on the diamond. While often found in the infield, he was known as an utility player.  He earned his Masters at Western Kentucky University.  Zach and his lovely wife, Erica, have four children. Justice is seven, the twins (Canaan and Haniyah) are six with the youngest, Eli, rounding out the Standridge clan at 18 months.

Life at Elkmont:
Zach was brought on board by former principal Garth Garris last summer.  He became part of our zany sixth grade staff as the math teacher.  He also became part of the football and baseball programs as an assistant.  When Coach Nave resigned from coaching earlier this year, Standridge quickly moved to the head varsity coach position.  His coaching staff is Dennis Black, Josh Andrews, Caleb Adams. 

Coach Standridge has two goals for his Red Devils program this year:  
The first is creating a better baseball facility for it to flourish.  During the off season they have worked to improve the field, sodding part of the infield, overseeding the outfield and bringing in three trucks of dirt to help improve drainage.  

The second is player development.  He wants each player to learn, eat and breath the concepts of working hard, to prepare and to take pride in what they do.  Being a part of the team isn't enough, learning what it takes to succeed is what they strive for.  Zach wants to emphasize player fundamentals, pitcher development and an instinctual knowledge of the game.  The Red Devils look to be in good hands to build the future.

LITTLE DEVILS EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

The signups are over and practice will soon start.  However, first comes the annual organizational meeting for parents.    The meeting starts at 2 pm.  Anyone interested in youth Elkmont baseball/softball is encouraged to attend.  This is a great time to clean out those closets and donate or exchange equipment.

YOUTH BASEBALL/SOFTBALL SIGN-UPS START THIS WEEK

Elkmont Youth League Baseball/Softball Sign-ups 
* Old Gym Lobby
*Jan 29 @ 10am - 2pm
*Feb 4   @   6pm - 8pm   
*Feb 6   @ 10am - 2pm 


If you would like to coach, contact by 1/22/15:  
Softball - Scott Cook @ 256-777-6976

Baseball - Nicolas Hill @ 256-777-0317

Cost:
First Child                  $45
Second Child             $40
Third Child                 $35
More than three         Free  
Fundraising Fee         $5

Parent meeting will be scheduled in February. All parents are encouraged to attend. Board members will be voted on at this meeting.

Softball Commissioner: Scott Cook

2016 LADY DEVILS VARSITY SCHEDULE

BRANDI BENTLEY BECOMES A LADY HAWK

I can not begin to express the gratitude I have towards my family, friends, coaches, and teammates that have helped me get to this very point in my life. Getting to play collegiate softball has been a goal of mine forever. Today, I got the privilege of saying that I have fulfilled that goal by signing with Calhoun. I will be getting the opportunity to play at the next level as a Lady Hawk. 

There's no doubt in my mind that Calhoun is exactly where I am suppose to be for the next 2 years of my life. This is all for me to do something for Him!! God is so very good.

VARSITY BASEBALL SCHEDULE

ELKMONT MOVES TO 3A

The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced the 2016-18 reclassification list this week. The list designates new regions/area alignments for all sports beginning in the fall of 2016. Among the biggest moves in the Athens-Limestone area was Elkmont moving back to Class 3A after spending the past two years in Class 4A. Madison Academy, a longtime 3A program, which won three state championships in baseball, basketball and football during the 2014-15 school year, moved up to Class 4A.

Class 3A, Region 8

Clements

Colbert County

West Morgan
East Lawrence
Elkmont
Colbert Heights
Lauderdale County
Lexington

2015 COACHES ALL-COUNTY BASEBALL TEAM

The 2015 Coaches All-County Baseball Team has been released. Several of our Elkmont Red Devils made this team. You can get a hard copy for your scrapbooks from the Athens News Courier office this week. 

Shortstop: Jordan Nelson — Nelson had eight RBIs with a .354 batting average and a .890 field percentage.

Outfield: Jared Bailey— The senior finished with a .375 batting average with 16 RBIs. On defense, he recorded a .910 fielding percentage.

Utility: Eli Hobbs — Hobbs had 14 RBIs to accompany a .330 batting average. He finished with a .850 fielding percentage.

Honorable Mention 
Outfield: Aron Moss

LIMESTONE STORM QUALIFIES FOR WORLD SERIES

The 7U Dizzy Dean Limestone Storm baseball team played in the Alabama State tournament last weekend. Several of the coaches and players are from Elkmont. Link to article where you meet the Elkmont players.

A rain soaked Friday afternoon had the Storm playing in the rain and wind to get the its first win, 6-3 over Millbrook.   On Saturday, there was a two hour rain delay with more mud and rain. The Limestone team lost 16-1 to last year's state runner-up, Northport. 

On Sunday, the Storm played P.A.T and won 15-6.  They turned around and played 4 hours later but weren't able to overcome the Walker County Stingers, losing 18-9.  The Limestone Storm finished 8th in the state out of 32 teams. This qualified to play in the World Series, July 17.

  
The team will be on the Jamie Cooper Show Friday morning on WTZT-TV, channel 11 at 6am. It's live. We are going to play a game with Jamie and talk about the road to the World Series.

You can watch Cooper and Company on Charter channel 6; MediaCom channel 7; ATT&T U-verse channel 11; Knology channel 17.104; or Digital antenna 11. Watch on your computer link
 
To help the Limestone Storm fund its trip to the World Series, Applebees will be hosting a fundraiser pancake breakfast this Saturday, July 11 from 8-10 am.  Tickets are $5 and if you don't get a ticket in advance you are welcome to just come on up there. You do not have to have a ticket!!!!