The Lady Rams are focusing on building a great season behind the leadership of their seniors and impact players.
“We have 14 players returning from last year and a few of them are seniors,” said head coach Shannon Gower. “The leaders of the team have set the goals of winning as much as possible and maintaining the same intensity throughout the season.”
A number of the seniors said they want this to be their best year as a college athlete due to their disappointment in the team’s 17-28 record in 2015.
Lauren Davis, the senior starting shortstop, said she wants to end her college athletic career with no regrets.
Davis graduated from Brewer High School in Fort Worth in 2012 and then went to Western Texas College for one year before transferring to Texas Wesleyan University in the fall of 2013.
“This is my third season playing softball at Wesleyan,” she said. “I want this season to be my most successful and productive one.”
Davis has played shortstop under head coach Shannon Gower for three years and started in 38 of last season’s 45 games. She has nothing but high praise for her head coach.
“She’s definitely changed me into a better person, and helped me break some of the negative things I do on the field,” Davis said.
Gower thinks that Davis is an amazing athlete and uses her head during games to make decisions.
“Lauren is a smart heads up player and the intensity she shows on the field if visible to the team,” Gower said.
Freshman accounting major and starting third baseman Bailey Terry said she wants to have a great season and set the bar high like Davis.
“I want to play like a senior and show that even as a Freshman I can help the team win and achieve our goals,” said Terry, who is from Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Terry was a four-time all-district and two-time all-state athlete in high school. However, she didn’t think she would play in college.
“Once Coach Gower showed interest in me I was proud and wanted to play for her,” Terry said.
Gower said she has known about Terry since her junior year of high school and can make an impact at Wesleyan in this, her first season.
“Her grandfather is from the area, and I had her come play for my select team for a couple of games and after I saw her play I knew that I was interested in her,” Gower said.
Senior psychology major and pitching ace Amanda Windham, who graduated from Hurst’s L.D. Bell High School in 2012, said she strives to improve on her 5.46 ERA in 2015.
“This season I want to focus on one thing at a time and go pitch by pitch on the mound to help the team win,” Windham said.
Windham has worked on her mentality on the mound thanks to the coaching staff and couldn’t give any higher praise to Gower for helping her get her life together, she said.
“She has been amazing to me,” Windham said. “She has helped me get an education and has made me stronger mentally and physically.”
Gower said Windham is the top pitcher on the team and is the senior leader on the mound.
“When she was new here she focused too much on throwing hard and it hurt her mentally, however last season she carried the team on the mound leading the team in innings pitched, and was a great asset for the team,” Gower said.
The Lady Rams play a doubleheader against Oklahoma City University on March 8 at Sycamore Park in Fort Worth. The games are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Admission is free.
