New faces the norm for Patriots softball

There will be plenty of new faces in the lineup for the Homewood High School softball team this spring.

The Patriots featured a senior-heavy team in 2022 and were a win away from advancing to the regional tournament. That means many new regulars for Homewood this season, some young and others simply lacking significant experience.

“The young kids we have are really talented,” Homewood head coach Arica Moss said. “It’s going to be a learning year with a learning curve for a lot of our athletes, but there’s a lot of potential.”

The building blocks on and off the field will be key to this team’s success, as the Patriots will feature varsity players ranging from 7th to 12th grade. But as Moss enters her second year as the head coach, she feels confident in the program’s positive direction.

“We’re building our program continually with our foundation of good teamwork and creating those bonding situations for them to be able to mesh on the field,” she said.

Kate Jourdan and Savvy Smith are two outfielders who are back for their senior years. Both got playing time last season and will be counted on to lead the way this season for the Patriots. Ella Ray is a senior pitcher, giving Homewood three seniors on the squad.

Among those Moss has already seen take big strides over the offseason is Abigail Box, a sophomore second baseman.

“She’s shown so much improvement from last year to this year,” Moss said. “She’s going to be a really great second baseman and a big hitter for us.”

Moss knows her team will not be a finished product when the season starts, and she is focusing on the big picture as so many players take on new and bigger roles for the first time in their varsity careers.

“What we’re going to continue to build on is the culture we’re instilling,” she said. “It was crucial last year and it is going to be crucial this year. … Everybody is going to play a big role regardless of age.”

The lack of proven returning starters also means increased competition for positions, something coaches almost always view as a positive.

“Regardless of your age and status, that means nothing for tomorrow. That’s going to be a good driving force behind us. That keeps everybody a little more motivated,” Moss said.

Homewood has performance-related goals it focuses on each day in practice and in games. As part of that culture being built within the program, Moss wants to see this team battle through the good days as well as the tough ones.

“One of our strengths is hopefully that we’re going to be resilient,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of really hard workers. Maybe because of our age range and the situation we’re in — I use this phrase a lot — ‘Why not us?’”

Homewood will be playing in an area with Mountain Brook, Shades Valley and Woodlawn, so qualifying for the regional tournament is certainly an attainable goal.

“We’re going to have to work really hard, because we’re so young and don’t have the experience underneath us,” she said. “As we get more experience throughout the season, we’re going to continue to get better. By the time May comes along, we’ve got a shot if we’re playing our best ball.”