Flooded-out softball field puts defending state champion Powell in a bind

If all Jeff Inman had to do was get his Powell softball team ready to defend its Class AAA state championship, he’d be in good shape right now.

Instead of the big picture, though, the seventh-year head coach has been focused on putting out fires.

Damaging floodwaters and a couple significant injuries have occupied Inman’s thoughts during the preparation period.

Concern No. 1 has been finding a place to practice, let alone play games. The flooding rains of late February took a toll on the Panthers’ home field. The fencing, which was ripped loose by the water, has been re-installed.

But the dirt skin of the infield won’t be fixed so easily.

“We lost about 5-6 inches of dirt,” Inman said. “The flood washed the dirt away down to the clay.”

Inman said the process of putting a laser on the field will tell exactly how much dirt will be needed. A rough estimate, from someone who has done it before, is $6,000.
It’s not like the dirt gets dumped and spread and a game is played later that day.

“After the dirt comes and is spread, we have to wait for a rain to settle it,” Inman said. “It’s a process that you can’t rush if you’re going to do it right.”

More:'Monster' sinkhole could cost Knox County $100K or more

Until then, the Panthers have been surviving, though homeless. Indoor sessions during rough weather are conducted at Base Knox on Callahan Road. Inman said the offers he’s gotten from area schools to use their facilities have been encouraging. But since transportation would be an issue – at least a dozen players don’t drive yet – they’ve settled on Levi Park in Powell.

Inman said Powell has swapped sites with opponents in the early part of the schedule. Also included is a mid-March trip to Alabama for a tournament. The first home game is set for March 28.

“(Not having a home field) is starting to get old for the players and the coaches,” Inman said. “We’re hoping to be able to get all that settled.”

More:Powell's Reagan Trumm wins PrepXtra girls player of the week

What’s not so easy to remedy is the injury bug the Panthers have encountered. A nucleus of six players that has helped Powell to a 79-16-1 record over the last two seasons – which included a state title last season and runner-up finish in 2017 – seemed poised for glory again.

Seniors Allison Farr (pitcher), Haley Schultz (first base), Mackenzie Lamb (catcher) and Ashley Harbison (outfield), along with junior Lilly Holston (third base) and sophomore Cayden Baker (shortstop), comprised a formidable crew.

However, Lamb, a three-year starter, has been sidelined with a shoulder injury. Inman is hard-pressed to determine when she might be cleared. Also, Holston is just now getting back to light work in practice after a broken pinky finger on her glove hand (left) sustained in a physical education class needed two screws to mend.

More:Shopper News blog: Talent show brings enthusiastic crowd

“We’ve got some good young players who are eager to step in, but we do miss having those veterans,” Inman said.

Of course, after this run of success, none of the Panther opponents are going to feel sorry for them.

“We’ll be OK,” Inman said. “I don’t feel we did anything different the last two years from what we did the first four.

“The main thing we preach is to be together as a team, not as a bunch of individuals.

"The teams we’ve had the last couple years have really run with that concept. They’ve bought into doing whatever they can to help the team win.”