Head Coach Ronnie Sockey and his Lady Bulldogs opened the 2022 softball season last week with a slate of junior varsity games while awaiting the arrival of several key players who are still in basketball. Senior Macy Cutsinger, junior Mady Cartwright, and sophomore Carley Sexton and the rest of the girls’ basketball team will play in the 5A state championship game on Thursday against Jonesboro. Win or lose, those three will join the softball team next week just in time for the opening of conference play against Russellville on the 15th.
But their current absence is a nice problem to have, because it means the basketball team is going deep into the playoffs, which they do almost annually. Cartwright and Sexton are both starting for Head Coach Clay Reeves, who is seeking his ninth state title overall and sixth at Greenwood.
Cutsinger and Cartwright are also essential players for Coach Sockey and his team because they are projected to start at the two most important defensive positions on the field, centerfield and shortstop, respectively. Both girls are also important offensive weapons for the Lady Bulldogs, so getting their bats into the lineup will make a huge difference.
Coach Sockey recently granted a phone interview to discuss the prospects for his team this season after graduating over half of his starting lineup last spring, including his daughter, Ally, who is now the starting shortstop for the Lady Razorbacks, leaving Mady Cartwright some big shoes to fill. But that’s just one of several open positions that need to be filled this spring. It’s a new era for Lady Bulldogs’ softball and the fun is just beginning.
Thirty-six names dot the overall team roster for Coach Sockey this spring, but that includes just two seniors, Macy Cutsinger and Kylie Lawson, so the Lady Bulldogs are very young this season. Players are grouped into three categories, varsity, junior varsity 1, and junior varsity 2, with some needed overlap. But according to the coach, there will be some shifting among players throughout the season, especially as younger players get more experience and playing time on the JV level.
“We’ve got some freshmen who are really going to push some people,” said Sockey when asked about his team’s overall talent and depth. “It’s going to be a battle all year for positions, and that’s just going to make us better overall. It’s going to be a fun bunch to watch. They’re going to surprise some people, for sure. Our goal is to get back to the state finals.”
Greenwood lost to Benton last season in the championship game, 8-1, as the Lady Panthers completed a perfect 32-0 season. Unfortunately, Benton lost only one senior off that team and is clearly the favorite to repeat this spring as 5A state champs. The Lady Bulldogs finished last season with a 25-9 mark as state runners-up.
Greenwood opened its 2022 campaign last week with a pair of junior varsity doubleheaders against Class 6A Bentonville-West and Bentonville. The Lady Bulldogs lost their opener to Bentonville-West, 6-5, after a late inning rally fell short, but came back to win game two, 5-4. Both contests lasted six innings. Two days later they traveled to Bentonville, dropping both ends of the doubleheader, 13-0 and 12-10.
But despite the early setbacks, the coach was glad to get the season underway, even without some of his best players on the field. “It was nice playing somebody different than trying to scrimmage each other,” he said. “We started [practicing] after volleyball and golf [last fall] with 20 to 25 girls in the off-season. We’ve been trying to do a lot more softball stuff rather than lifting weights and conditioning. We’re so young and a lot of them haven’t had time on the field, so we’re trying to catch up. We graduated six starters last year.
“But we’ve got three or four girls returning who played last year,” he continued. “Macy Cutsinger is going to be our centerfielder and leadoff girl. Mady Cartwright is going to move to shortstop this year, and she’s a big hitter for us. Charlie Taylor was our catcher last year and she’s probably going to move to third base to keep her legs fresh and see if that helps her hitting all season long. She likes to hit the long ball and we’re going to rely on her to put the ball in play more and pick up RBIs. Mady Cartwright also.
“The other [returnee] for us who pitched as a freshman is Tori Howard. She pitched really well yesterday. She didn’t have any walks and got a lot of popups and groundouts for us. She also had a big hit. She’s swinging the bat well. She got plenty of innings last year splitting time with Haven Clements, our senior pitcher. She really changes speeds well and hits her spots well. She doesn’t give a lot of free bases. She doesn’t have a lot of speed, but she has good control. She spins the ball well. She can make it run inside or throw it away from the hitters.”
The coach also talked about the potential of sophomore pitcher Haley McAdams. “All our pitchers are really young. Tori will handle most of our starts and Haley will probably be our closer and work into a starting role possibly for the second game of those [varsity] doubleheaders. She is more of a power pitcher who has developed a good curveball. She has a little more velocity. She’s still working on her control, but when she gets into a groove, she can be pretty dominate. She reminds me a lot of Victoria [Taylor] when she was a freshman and sophomore.” Taylor is the best hurler in the history of GHS softball during the fast-pitch era, going on to pitch for the University of Southern Arkansas in Magnolia.
“We’ve got a lot of position players,” added Sockey. “There’s a lot of options with this bunch, for sure. It’s going to take a while to figure out the exact lineup and defensive combinations we’re going to have, but the overall talent is still there. It’s just a matter of experience and seeing where best to play them.
“[Sophomore] Taylor Nichols started some for us last year behind the plate, and she swings the bat pretty well. The backup will probably be junior Rylee Cowart. When she’s not catching, she’s probably going to be in the outfield, because she’s a really good hitter,” said the coach.
Sockey sees a possible platoon situation at the corner on the right side of the infield. “At first base will be senior Kylie Lawson. She’s really good defensively. Also, junior Paige Pugh is a lefthanded fielder who bats righthanded. She can hit the ball well. At second base we’re probably looking at Ireland Cooper, another junior. She’s got a good glove and quickness to cover a lot of ground. [Offensively], she’s going to put the ball in play for us most of the time. She’s a line drive hitter who can handle the bat and bunt. She’s got good speed, so if she can put the ball in play, she’s got a chance to get on. She’ll probably bat in the #9 hole.”
Mentioned earlier as one of the returning players with the most experience, Charlie Taylor will move from behind the plate to third base, allowing Mady Cartwright to slide over to short. “She’s played some infield before,” said the coach of Taylor. “She’s got a good glove and she’s pretty quick. She’ll probably be our three or four hole hitter.”
As for Cartwright, Sockey couldn’t say enough good things about one of the best female athletes on the GHS campus. “Mady has unbelievable range and a great arm. She’s a big girl who can really move. She’s just a super athlete. She can hit for average and she’s definitely powerful. She hits a lot of doubles and triples, and she can flat get around the bases.”
Turning to the outfield, Coach Sockey said both left and right field are wide open for competition, especially left field where several girls are vying for potential playing time. “Left field is wide open for four to five different girls right now, also right field. Rylee Cowart is in the mix for one of those spots. Juniors include Lilly Gigerich and Lilly Williams. Natalie Horn is a sophomore we really like. She’s got a lot of speed and a good arm. She’s got a little work to do to be more consistent at the plate. She will also see time as a courtesy runner. And there are some younger ones we really like too. It’s just going to take some time to figure it out.”
One position not in question is center field with the presence of Macy Cutsinger, who has already signed a letter of intent to play college softball for Oklahoma Baptist University. The diminutive senior is fast, quick, covers a lot of ground in the outfield, and is a key offensive weapon for the Lady Bulldogs.
“She’s got the most experience,” said her coach, comparing Cutsinger to his other outfielders. “She’s got a lot of talent. She’s the anchor of the outfield and she hits for a great average. She had a great state tournament and great state finals last year. Hopefully, she can pick up right where she left off. She really works hard at her hitting, and if she gets on, she can turn it into a double or triple. She’s going to have the green light to [steal] on any pitch she wants to.”
Sockey also revealed a little bit about his offensive strategy this season. “Once we get everybody out there, we’re going to be aggressive on the bases. We’ll probably do a lot more bunting this year, but we’ll still have some power in the middle of the order.” Cutsinger will lead off and be a table setter for Taylor, Cartwright, and Howard, among others.
“We’re shooting for first, second, or third in the conference,” said the coach before letting the cat out of the bag. “This year it wouldn’t be a bad thing to finish second or third and be on the opposite side of the bracket from Benton in the state tournament. They are the best in the state. The next best team besides Benton will probably be Marion. They’ve got quite a few girls back.”
As for the 5A West, Sockey believes there will be a lot of parody this season, with a large number of key players graduating last season from several teams. “Vilonia is probably the top team this year, and Greenbrier is always athletic. Russellville and Mountain Home should be pretty similar. We’re all going to be about the same with a lot of new, young players. Alma and Van Buren will be right there in the mix too. Alma probably has the most experienced pitching staff. I’m not sure about Siloam Springs. There will be a lot more competition this year.”
So, Coach Sockey and his staff, including assistants Brandon Elmore and Diane Popp, have their work cut out for them this spring, developing future talent and potential while at the same time putting a quality team on the field with the goal of returning to the state playoffs, if not the finals. They may not yet be at the level of Benton or Marion, but given enough time the Lady Bulldogs will return to prominence in Arkansas high school softball, and sooner rather than later.