Softball season has started for both Bowie and Nocona this week.
Both have their first actual games this week as well as first tournament in Jacksboro.
Both teams also are trying to bounce back after tough seasons missing the playoffs in a district that featured two teams making it far in the playoffs.
For Bowie, the program is not used to missing the playoffs, but last year’s team was young overall and lacking numbers following the shortened COVID season.
A lack of numbers for a JV team and missing a year of development cost them in a district that took no prisoners.
Coach Jordon Roth takes over the program and the former Bowie graduate hopes to build it back up from the beginning.
“I am expecting the girls to work hard every day and to be willing to do what it takes to help the team,” Roth said. We have good team chemistry, so I don’t see any issues with them being willing to sacrifice for their teammates.”
The good for the team is it lost only one senior starter from last year. That familiarity and growth for the young team should mean the team should be getting better together as a group.
With more than two seasons gone from the program’s last playoff berth, that does mean the team’s overall swagger and expectations from the players needs to be rediscovered again.
“The biggest area for improvement is going to be their confidence.” Roth said. “They have to trust me and be willing to be coachable for us to thrive this season.”
For the Lady Indians, Nolan Lanham gets his try to coach the softball team. The new coach has been at Liberty, Jarrell and Hamilton and is a graduate from Prosper High School and Tarleton University.
Lanham hopes to bring an “attack first” philosophy to this team.
“I believe for our team to be successful this year we have to learn to attack in every phase of the game,” Lanham said. “Our pitchers have to attack the strike zone and opposing batters, and when balls are put in play our defense has to attack the ball. Offensively we have to attack pitches early and often, then use our aggressiveness on the bases to put pressure on the opposing team.”
The Nocona softball program’s best recent seasons have been where they compete well, but wins have come few and far between. Their worst have been when most games finish early.
In best years the team is usually filled with upper classmen with experience and this team returns some.
Makenna Nobile, Sydnee Mowry, Tobie Cable and Maddi Ezzell all have experience in the infield and will try to lead the Lady Indians in making the fundamental plays on defense and making plays with their bats.
The team also will be incorporating some younger players that do not have a lot of innings playing at the varsity level.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.