Huntingdon softball coach Jay Lowery and players making transition to diamond

Luis Torres
Jackson Sun
Adyn Swenson throws a pitch during Huntingdon's 13-3 win over West Carroll on March 22, 2018.

HUNTINGDON — It’s been a busy few weeks for Huntingdon softball coach Jay Lowery.

There was almost no break time going from being an assistant on the girls basketball team to being the head coach of the Fillies’ softball team.

More: 12 Jackson area softball super seniors for 2018 season.

However, he’s not the only one going through the transition. Lowery said there are 10 players on the team that have had to quickly move on from basketball to softball.

It’s been an adjustment period for all them.

“There’s times where I catch myself and I’m like ‘man, I’m not 100 percent mentally there,”’ Lowery said. “But it’s a process and we’ve dealt with it last year and you get used to it and there are times where you give the girls and our coaches days off.”

The Fillies’ basketball team advanced to the Class A state semifinals, losing to eventual state champion Greenfield. The loss stuck with the girls.

Pushing past it has been a challenge of its own.

“I think it is more of a mental thing because we kind of still had that last basketball game in our head,” Alli Jones said. “But we got to move onto the next sport and get ready for this one.”

Huntingdon coach Jay Lowery watches on during the Fillies' 13-3 win over West Carroll on March 22, 2018.

The seniors who were on the basketball team brought everyone together during the first practice to put it behind them. It was time to set a new goal: getting to state in softball.

“Our first practice we actually had that conversation because our seniors want to go back to Murfreesboro for softball just like we did in basketball,” Adyn Swenson said.

More: Dale Neal soaks in first NAIA national championship victory.

On Thursday, it finally looked like the loss was a thing of the past as Huntingdon defeated West Carroll 13-3 in five innings via run rule. Swenson pitched a complete game and Jones scored three runs.

The beginning of the softball season has been dificult. Huntingdon hasn’t had a lot of practice time on the diamond. A combination of rain and games has made it difficult for Lowery to try to set up a consistent schedule.

“I think we’ve been on the (practice) field twice,” he said. “I think we went inside and hit one day, so really three I guess practices.”

More: Eight Jackson area girls basketball players named All-State selections.

There will be more practices to come and more improvements to be made. Lowery is looking for consistency in the next few weeks and the next few months to make it to Murfreesboro.

“We’ve had some ups and downs early,” Lowery said. “But it’s just learning to make adjustments and really finding your nine, 10, 11 players, everybody on the team and their role and how they can help you.”

Reach Luis Torres at ltorres1@jacksonsun.com or 731-425-9638 and follow him on Twitter @LFTorresIII.