By Sam Doughton, Staff Writer

The Demons’ softball team entered the 2013 season showing promise and potential across the board. Although Reynolds’ softball program has had its struggles in recent years, a solid core of returning players as well as a crop of promising newcomers should  help tremendously.

Mike Meeks returns as head coach after taking a year off last year. He will be assisted by Mike McCulloch, who also coaches ninth-grade men’s basketball and women’s golf at the school, and Jessica Hutchinson, a sixth-grade math teacher at Hanes Middle School who has a college background in softball.

“(The team) had an OK season last year,” Meeks said, “but given the talent this season, they should have a lot better year.”

The Demons are led by a trio of juniors: Elizabeth Meinberg, Casey Ferris and Daijah Walker. Meinberg and Walker both pitch and play first base, while Ferris catches.

Promising newcomers include sophomores Eva Hill and Chautina Clark, and freshmen Shelley Wallace and Hannah Rice. Hill is playing for the first time this season after playing soccer last spring. Clark moved from Georgia and was described as a “strong” player by Meeks. Wallace plays shortstop and bats leadoff. Rice missed the start of the season with an ankle injury, but Meeks hopes to have her back before the end of the season.

Meeks described the team as “a great group of girls with good character. There are good relationshipts throughout the team,” Meeks said.

The Demons play at Hanes Park, which presents some challenges. The field has no lights and a temporary fence. The team plays varsity games at 5 in the afternoon most days to help combat this.

“We are at the largest disadvantage throughout the county by using a community field,” said Meeks, who added that he will line the field for a game during his second-period planning period, and by the time he comes back after school for the game, there are footprints all over the chalk.

Thanks to the improvement in talent, however, the Demons are experiencing fewer problems on the field this year during the actual games.

“We have a favorable schedule,” Meeks said. “If we play to our potential, we will win our fair share of games.”